Thief!
by FictionBro
Summary: Jayce is unmotivated. Sorrowfully so. But with some accidental thievery and his inability to keep a calendar, Jayce's about to be very active when all of his procrastination finally burns down to the unceremonious wick. It's hard to fight a long and dark battle, when you are your own enemy.
1. The Defender of Tomorrow

**Just an FYI, this story is definitely rated M. Maybe not now, but soon. Fairly soon. Like next chapter soon. There will be cursing, sexual content, rape, blood, gayness, lesbianness, straightness, death, gore, and a lot of other fun things. And just for clarification, this will end up being an pairing story between Jayce and Ekko. Super ghey boys. GLHF!**

* * *

The sun shone through the trees, through a broad and rather glamorous window, to dapple across a cluttered and very unglamorous table. Small inventions and little tinker devices were scattered across it, some looking finished and beautiful, but most looking like they needed some serious refining. A broad shouldered young man slept on one of the corners of the table, where he'd shoved out just enough room to place his head. A distant alarm rang through the building, and he awoke, his blue eyes opening wide, and then quickly snapping back shut when the light blinded them.

"What the..." He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. From down the hall, the alarm in his bedroom went to snooze. He yawned lightly, looking around the room.

"Fuck.." He finished, eyeing his lab with a light chuckle. It was an absolute mess. If Caitlyn walked in, she'd probably have an aneurysm. There were far from finished projects, almost finished projects, projects he hadn't even started on yet... all scattered rather randomly across his workplace. Jayce felt very... unmotivated. He leaned further back in his old chair, lazily listening to it creak dangerously under his weight. Nothing _needed_ to be done. There was no rush to finish anything, no threat. There were a few commissions, but no one had even given him a due date. Most of them were parents that wanted the school to be in awe of what their 12 year old brought to next year's science fair. Nothing pushed him to finish any of his projects, except a mild curiosity in whether they would work as intended or not. Which, Jayce was around 99.8% certain that they would. _He_ invented them, after all.

Piltover was at peace right now. Hell, all of Valoran was at peace for the moment. The past 5 months, even Noxus and Demacia had stopped quabbling. Of course, there is always a quiet before the storm...

Jayce frowned, disinterested in his passing thoughts of doom. He figured he would enjoy the peace as it was for the moment. And peaceful it was. Not even the summoners of the League had called upon him lately. Everyone was starry eyed over the new Champion that had arrived. Jayce scoffed, picking up a part of the device he'd been tinkering with before he fell asleep. The Zaunite kid, Ekko. Jayce hadn't yet had the chance to lane with, nor against him. He looked like a little gutterpunk brat...

Just the thought of Zaun left a bad taste in his mouth. Thieves, murderers, reputable psychos. Reminders of what people like Singed, Warwick, Jinx... _Viktor_ were capable of. Jayce ground his teeth, tossing the small part back onto the mess on his table. He eyed the pieces of the latest device he'd been commissioned to make. The Primal Gear. It was supposed to extract DNA from various types of animals, break down specific components, and gift the abilities upon whoever wore it. He'd been commissioned to make the device over three months ago, but had been going agonizingly slow for multiple reasons, aside from his own laziness. Jayce had been trying relentlessly to find out who the mystery man that wanted it made was. At first glance, it seemed like an Udyr wannabe, but Jayce knew that this device could be valuable in hunting down creatures. And people.. Jayce was wary. He didn't want to be the creator of the device that was used to track down and kill Rengar, or Kha'Zix, or Nidalee. Hell, use it on just Udyr and they'd already have so much available to them.

This was the kind of device, that if coupled with a memory storage, could be an entryway to the League for whoever used it. Especially if they extracted enough power from the different beasts around Valoran. More than anything else, it would be extremely annoying to fight against on the rift. Someone who could attack you, steal your ability for an indefinite amount of time, or steal one of your teammate's abilities to use against you? Making a team would be chaotic around an ability like that. Everyone would have to watch out for abilities that countered their own team..

Jayce shook his head and stood up, sighing. He needed some air, some sunshine, ice cream, something. He grabbed his jacket from the hook across the room, heading for the door.

* * *

Piltover was busy. Maybe it was because Jayce lived extremely close to the main blocks and it was market day, but Jayce just blamed it on the fact that Piltover was a large and successful city. That conclusion was much more satisfying. He walked along the sidewalk, pleased when he realized he didn't sleep for as long as he'd thought. The market started pretty regularly around 10, and it looked like people were just getting set up. Jayce made a beeline across the street, going as quickly as he could. It was partially because there was some serious traffic with people trying to get in a market spot as fast as they could, but mostly because Jayce knew that if Vi saw him jaywalking, she would chase him down and tackle him into the concrete...

Paranoia stayed creeped over him until he made it to the other side. You never knew when she would be there... watching... Jayce chuckled, slightly berating himself for being so nervous as he walked into his favorite coffee shop. He winked at one of the girls working there as he took a seat at one of the bar stools. She slinked over, leaning across the counter. Her cleavage nearly shined in the light, and Jayce gave her a charming smile. Light hair, tan skin, eyes the color of milk chocolate. His favorite kind.

"What can I get you, Mr. Jayce?"

"You can-"

"You can get him a little kiddy meal!"

Jayce's smile dropped as Vi grabbed him and put him into a headlock. Jayce pushed her indignantly, and her grip tightened. He listened to her laugh in his ear, and he growled. She smothered his hair with her giant glove, driving her knuckle into his head. Jayce screamed, muffled by the deputy's thick vest. Caitlyn calmly ignored them, taking a seat on the other side of Vi.

"I'll have some lemon balm tea, if you would please." Caitlyn took her hat off, setting it to the side. She smiled kindly, placing her head in her hand as she watched Jayce and Vi make fools of themselves. Finally Jayce was able to twist his way out and he stumbled back, falling off the bar stool and thudding against the floor. Vi laughed at him, turning to the waitress.

"Gimme an ale, beautiful." Vi smirked, giving the busty girl a wink. The waitress blushed, writing the order down.

"Ah, no. She will have some chamomile tea." Caitlyn interrupted, ignoring Vi's cries of protest. Jayce slumped back into his seat, leaning away from the rambunctious woman beside him. He fixed his hair slowly, seething with salt as he watched Vi flirt with the waitress incessantly. Finally the girl turned to him, her cheeks bright pink from Vi's compliments.

"A coffee would be nice, black. Three sugars." Jayce rested his head in his hand, turning to the two law enforcers that had probably just ruined the easiest lay he would ever run into. In retrospect, Vi may have been doing him a favor. This was his favorite coffee shop, and he frequented it nearly every morning. He didn't want something like this ruining that. Nothing was worse than someone who thought a one night stand was a door opener to a relationship. The waitress, as sweet as she seemed, looked like just that kind of person. A nudge prodded Jayce out of his thoughts, and he turned to Vi with a dumb look on his face. "Huh, wha? What?"

Vi glared at him, motioning towards Caitlyn with her eyes and giving him a pointed look. Jayce stared at her blankly, not really wanting to point out that he hadn't been listening, and risk another noogie from those massive gloved hands. Caitlyn looked expectant, watching them both with a small smile on her face. "Well, Jayce? What do you think?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Vi tapped her gloved fist into Jayce's arm, intentionally light but still nearly tipping both him and the bar stool over. Jayce rubbed his arm absentmindedly. "I... I think that..."

Caitlyn cocked an eyebrow and Vi glared at death threat this way. The waitress came back with their drinks, setting them down one by one. Vi propped her elbow on the counter, giving the woman a cheeky smile. " _I_ think I can hold my liquor, among many other things, at any time of the day."

Jayce rolled his eyes, taking the coffee and letting it warm his hands. The waitress giggled at Vi, setting their drinks down and pushing a sugar tray over. Jayce smiled at the young woman, mouthing the word _'alcoholic'._ The waitress laughed lightly, before turning away to tend to other customers. Vi stared him down, still holding a couple of empty sugar packets above her tea. Caitlyn cleared her throat, not intending to have them wrestling in public.

Again...

"So, Jayce, have you seen the new Champion?" She asked, inhaling the soft perfume of her tea.

"The Zaunite kid? Nah, not yet."

"Just a matter of time man. You'll get your ass kicked by him yet." Vi chimed in cheerfully, ignoring Jayce's glare.

"He's trouble, that one. Smart. Keeps working his way through the restrictions they put on him. I'm not sure the Institute fully grasps what he's capable of yet." Caitlyn said thoughtfully, staring into her drink.

"Little brat acts like her knows me. Makes these snide comments every chance he gets!" Vi sneered, slamming her fist onto the table, shaking it. "Better be thankful he's fast, I'll break his face in if I catch him."

"That's just the thing. His role versatility knows now bounds. Toplane, jungle, midlane, support..."

"Marksman?" Jayce asked, smirking.

Caitlyn frowned, "That's the annoying part."

"Fucking troll summoners, I swear!" Vi threw her arms up in exasperation, nearly spilling her tea with the action. Beside her, Caitlyn pulled out what looked like a small card. The card folded open with a light tap from Caitlyn's thumb, and a bright blue screen flickered into the opening. An alarm pinged across it, and the sheriff read it quickly before flipping it shut once more.

"We have to go. Come on Vi, there's been a report of thievery in the market." Caitlyn said, standing up and grabbing her hat. "Thank you for the drinks, Jayce."

"What."

Vi laughed at him, leaning against the counter. She watched Caitlyn leave, and Jayce could very clearly see where the deputy's eyes were following. Jayce smacked her arm, giving her a look.

"What? Like you're a saint? You fuck every man, woman, and humanoid that gives you a kinky smile, Jayce."

The inventor gave her an open mouthed stare. "I was _going to say_ that you should talk to her. Ask her out of something. Fucking hell, Vi!"

Her head tipped back and she gave a long, hearty laugh. Jayce smiled into his coffee, shaking his head. They were dorks. Rude, violent, and unruly, but Jayce wouldn't have his friends any other way.

"Shit man, maybe I will. I'm pretty sure she doesn't fly my way though." Vi shrugged, standing to leave. "Yo, Jayce."

"Yo."

Vi slammed her fist into the table, making Jayce jump and drop his drink. He turned to the volatile woman, leaning back when he saw Vi close in on him. She pointed her finger in his face, giving him a grim look. "I fucking saw you jaywalk that street. I'll get you."

* * *

Jayce sighed, staring down at the coffee cup in his hands. The liquid was dwindling around the bottom, and a strange thought passed through his head. Did he drink too much coffee? Did coffee make his breath smell like... like coffee? Jayce felt his teeth with his tongue, and suddenly he felt dirty. A strange desperation to brush his teeth and shower came over him, and he leaped up from the park bench, deciding right then and there that he'd been lounging around town for too long.

After the ladies left for the market, Jayce had walked a couple blocks to the park to drink the rest of his third coffee and watch the Piltover population go about their days. Jayce actually kind of enjoyed people watching. Lately he found himself with a lot of time to find new hobbies. Maybe it was because he was procrastinating so badly with all of his inventions...

Jayce frowned, turning the corner and straight into the market crowd. He felt lazy, and that wasn't a pleasant feeling. He looked across the vendors and their wares as he passed, eyeing all the little devices and silly tech they were trying to sell. People from all over Valoran came to the Piltover Market to sell their items. Most were sold to tourists that thought this strange little mech they bought from a ragged old witch was kind of cool, but had no idea how it worked. Very little was found worthy in the eyes of esteemed scientists, such as Jayce. But every once in a while...

Jayce stopped, a green light catching his eye. He turned to the vendor to his left, staring at a small cylinder with a bright green glow to it. Upon further inspection, the capsule was filled with liquid. However, the liquid itself looked completely clear. It seemed to be the bubbles inside the liquid, and the air around it that gave off the green hue. Jayce grabbed it, lifting it above his head and studying it.

"Hey hey hands off the wares! If you touch it, you buy it!" A crooked old man growled at Jayce, his back very obviously kinked in many different places, yet he bore no cane. His clothes weren't exactly ragged, but he certainly looked like he took casual swims through creekbeds, or maybe sewers, often. All the same, he looked not unlike every other vendor in this area of the market. The market segregated certain people in different areas. Some stock was homemade, and some was stolen, and they didn't want the people who made the items they sold to be next to someone who stole the items they sold. Strangely enough, this wasn't a law or backed by any kind of enforcement. They segregated themselves. Birds of a feather flock together, and all that. Jayce eyed the old man suspiciously, still holding the cylinder.

"Where did you get this?" Jayce asked, lightly shaking it. The air and the liquid stayed nearly the same, acting quite akin to oil and water. Jayce suddenly had a strange feeling that shaking this device was a very bad idea.

"Ah, that! That is a capsule full of spacial tissue, torn from the dimensional universe itself!" The man stated proudly, giving a wide array of hand movements and dramatic facial expressions. People gathered around the man, nearly crowding Jayce out of his place. They ooed and awed at what the man spouted, all of their eyes turned to the green glow. Jayce himself was unamused by the tale, and wasn't keen on having this thing nabbed by a demacian housewife because they thought it was fucking spacial tissue.

"Aha, yeah. Where'd you _really_ get it?"

The man stopped short, giving Jayce a suspicious look. If nothing else, his story had gotten a couple people to buy other things from him. He seemed pleased enough with himself. "If you want to know, you gotta buy it first."

Jayce sighed, taking another look at the cylinder. At the top and bottom of the glass capsule, there were specific grooves and gears suspended in a sturdy, blackish grey metal. It looked like a piece that would be a part of a larger device. It almost looked like some sort of... energy supply. Jayce scrunched his eyes, debating on the little thing. "How much?"

Greed flickered across the crooked man's eyes, and he stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth, as if contemplating. "Hm... how about-"

Jayce leaned in suddenly, glaring the man down. He almost smirked when the man jumped back, shrinking under Jayce. "If you say 5 gold or anything above, I'm telling all of these good people that everything you're selling is trash that you found in the river between Zaun and Piltover."

"But-"

"But nothing. I know your like." Jayce threatened, unamused by the man. If this was a sort of energy supplyant device like Jayce thought, then it was either made by scratch and there was nothing else like it in the world, or it was extremely expensive and probably a specific order from a big name brand. Either way, it was likely stolen.

The man flinched, giving Jayce a glare as he scratched his fingernails across his table. "Hmph. 4 gold then."

Jayce tossed the man four gold, rolling his eyes when the man mumbled about thieves and the slandering of his good name. Jayce shoved the thing into his pocket, keen on taking it apart when he got back to his lab. Ahead of him, Ziggs stepped out onto the sidewalk, holding a large bag of goods. Jayce chuckled, walking around the hyper little yordle with a small wave, which the furry beast happily returned.

Ziggs found most of his supply at the market. He used the old metal that was sold here, as well as the unstable chemicals and many different random assortments of waste bottles and jars. He would custom make all of his things, melting down the metal, doing the tedious task of disassembling the chemicals, Jayce found it kind of fascinating. Ziggs didn't believe in big name equipment. He always said buying from the market helped the recycling of gold in Piltover's economy. Jayce himself wasn't exactly... economically affluent. It was boring. Boring, boring, boring subject; Jayce wasn't interested.

The inventor stepped into his building, jogging across the empty lobby to the elevators. He quickly stabbed the button to call the elevator, repeating it multiple times when it didn't come as fast as he wanted. He really, truly hoped that no one saw him and tried to engage him in conversation. It wasn't that he didn't like all the other residents. It was that all of the other residents were also using this building as a lab, and thus, were also scientists, inventors, chemists, and the like. Everyone knew pretty much everyone, and they always asked about how their inventions/concoctions/experiments were going. And Jayce would have to lie and pretend he hadn't just been using his lab as a sex cove lately, and he'd have to make up a story about how well his inventions were doing, and it just seemed like so much work. He hopped into the elevator, sighing and resting against the wall. One bullet dodged. He tapped the button for his floor, thumbed in his passcode, and leaned his head against the wall, feeling the coolness of the metal.

Each floor in this building was a single, rentable unit. Three labs, two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and a 'dining room' that was usually just filled with more tables that were lined to the brim with more inventions and experiments. The floors all used to be exactly the same, but depending on who owned them, were actually redone about once a year. The owners of the building itself had put in soundproof walls and floors a couple of years ago to try and help with the excess amounts of screaming and yelling at failed experiments, explosions, etc. It helped, but then they had to install alarms on all the floors as well, because no one could just scream 'FIRE' and expect everyone to hear them anymore.

Jayce opened his eyes when the elevator doors creaked open, pulling out his key and unlocking the gated door to his floor. Usually this was done in a grand and dramatic manner to impress the person or persons Jayce had brought up with him. Sometimes fellow scientists and inventors, but lately usually whoever Jayce had seduced that day. He pulled the gates back closed, locking them and slumping against them. Suddenly an alarm rang out, and Jayce nearly jumped out of his skin. "FUCK. Okay."

Jayce pushed himself back to his feet, walking through the hallway and into his bedroom. He pulled his blanket off the floor and threw it back onto his large bed, falling with it. He smacked the alarm on the way down and rested, feeling tired. It was such a comfortable bed, very expensive, but very worth it. It pulled Jayce towards sleep, telling him lies about what time it was.

"Fuck. It's only like 2 in the afternoon. I suck." Jayce pushed his face into his blanket, moping. He felt a small tug at the back of his mind, and he reopened his eyes, cursing. The call of a summoner was a strange feeling. It was like a ping, in a sense that it was one little poke that prodded you to accept the connection. It was... it was almost like having a soft little stress ball being thrown at the back of your head. Jayce connected to the summoner, waiting patiently for them.

 _'Ah, so you are awake. Thank goodness.'_

 _'You called?'_ Jayce said smoothly, his mental voice like honey. Honestly, he didn't actually intend to flirt with everyone he met. It was almost habitual, more than actual intentional seduction.

 _'I am Lord Armon, I request for you to fight with me.'_

 _'Of course, I'd be happy to help out.'_ Jayce tried to be more polite than charismatic, feeling almost guilty for not remembering the names of most of his summoners. In his defense, a lot of summoners called for his aid. It was only the highly ranked, famous ones, the ones whose names where displayed everywhere, that he remembered.

 _'Will 2 minutes to prepare be ample enough?'_

 _'Make it 3 and I'll buy you dinner.'_

 _'O-oh.'_

Jayce smiled to himself, pulling off his jacket and tossing it aside. He grabbed his coat off the hook on his bedroom door, and walked out. The link between he and his summoner started to strengthen, and he cracked his neck. It had been some time since he fought, and despite how tired he felt, Jayce was a little excited to get back to the Rift. He walked to the end of the hall and pushed on the wall, opening a doorway to his safe. He entered a 13 digit passcode, and the heavy door slowly pulled open. The Mercury Hammer stood in all it's glory, a testament to Jayce's skill as an inventor, and a defender.

Jayce grabbed it from the stand, letting the safe fall shut and kicking the wall closed. Blue light surrounded him, and he felt the particles teleporting him far from his home; far from Piltover and the neighboring Zaun, away from the Freljord and the mountains, and springing towards the Institute of War. The method they used to teleport the champions was an inconvenient one. It could teleport you _from_ anywhere in Valoran, but it could only teleport you _to_ one of the Institute's towers that they had stationed in every city. Annoying. As for the teleportation itself, it could be worse. It was almost like being turned into lightning. It didn't hurt. It was like the feeling you get when the hair on your nape stands on end, and a shiver runs down your spine. Like someone giving your neck a soft, almost indistinct, kiss. Subtle, but spine tingling. Kind of orgasmic, in a way. Not enough to give you a hard on, or so you'd admit, but enough to make the thought linger in your head. The process took a lot out of you the first time, but the Champions got used to the method quite quickly.

Jayce reappeared on a small elevated panel in the Institute, alongside two other Champions, ones that were likely also summoned to the Institute to take part in the same battle Jayce was here for. Darius stood to his left, and Twitch to his right. Jayce stayed stationary for a moment, pretending to brush something off his coat while waiting for Darius to walk an acceptable distance away. Jayce sneered. He didn't get along with the axe swinging man. And it wasn't because he was a noxian elitist.

Okay, maybe it was a little..

Jayce walked out of the teleportation area, nearly tripping on Annie. She swung out from under him, giggling as she skipped away. "Woopsie, sorry Jaycie!"

Jayce nodded, chuckling. Jaycie? Ugh, kid. Please. One's toleration levels had to be godlike in this line of work. If they weren't, you ended up like Nocturne, or Fiddlesticks. Locked up. Imprisoned. Jayce shuddered. He didn't know how criminals did it. Not that he was claustrophobic... but he might be actually. Jayce mulled over the thought as he walked on. He found it a bit indignant, but actually a realistic probability. He'd never, EVER liked small places. Then again he'd never been a small person. Genetic broad shoulders, meaty arms, and rather tall. Attractive. Jayce smiled to himself.

 _'So, uh, dinner huh?'_

"Fuck." Jayce said, snapping his mouth back shut with a smile when Annie looked curiously back at him. A couple summoners glared at him as they walked past, commenting on his language. Jayce nodded and apologized with a charming smile and a light laugh. He turned back, sighing, and nearly jumped. To his side, Talon strode on, staring at the inventor. Jayce kept his eyes straight forward, watching the man eye him from his peripheral vision. He hadn't even noticed the assassin, how long had he been there?

"Oi."

Jayce turned to the noxian, smiling. "Ahaha, yeah?"

"Watch your mouth around the kid." Talon said darkly. Jayce stopped moving, watching Talon walk ahead, looming over Annie like some sort of tiny makeshift Tibbers. A noxian assassin just berated him for his language. What a time to be alive.

 _'Of course, you did give me that extra minute, after all.'_ Jayce sighed out loud. He'd forgotten about that, and honestly wasn't really interested in spending the night with a summoner that he didn't remember, and would promptly forget after this fight.

 _'Oh wow. I thought you were like, trolling me.'_

 _'Whaaat? I would never! A promise is a promise. When do you want to get dinner?'_ Jayce asked, trying to sound charming and smooth in his telepathic conversation. Visually, he looked like he'd just crawled out of bed, and his deep set frown deterred everyone from speaking to him.

 _'After the game, I suppose?'_

 _'Sounds like a date, Lord Armon.'_ Jayce frowned through the entire conversation. Once Jayce was tasked with doing something he didn't want to, he suddenly remembered many things that were at the top of his priority list. Like how the Primal Gear did, in fact, have a due date that was coming up soon. How soon, he couldn't remember, but soonish. Also, there was a new stabilizing agent he was supposed to be clarifying, and Jayce hadn't even touched that project yet. All of these things he was supposed to be doing, and he could only think of one thing. The thought of that little device was nagging at the back of his mind. He really, desperately wanted to take the glowing thing apart. The most disappointing part was that Jayce was almost entirely sure he would spend four hours taking it apart carefully and piece by piece only to find it was just some sewage water with radiated coloring.

He grit his teeth, realizing he'd never actually fucking brushed his teeth when he'd gotten to his lab. He nearly cursed out loud, before smacking his mouth shut on the first letter when Talon turned to give him a dirty look. Jayce smiled at the noxian, trying his damnest to be charming enough that it would make the assassin not target him. _I'll give you a dirty look Talon,_ Jayce thought to himself. _I'll give you a dirty something else too._

 _'Ahem.'_

Jayce nearly kicked himself, remembering only now that pointed thoughts were translated as messages when you were tied to a summoner. He hid his face in his hands as he walked, knowing the path to the transferring chamber well enough that he could mourn his fate on the way there. He felt like curling up in a ball and dying. Gossip spread across summoners like a plague. He could only imagine what kind of looks people would be giving him tomorrow. Oh god, what if Talon found out.. Oh GOD. WHAT IF VI FOUND OUT. Jayce wanted to slam his head against something, but settled for screaming into his hands and stomping into the transferring chamber.


	2. Rampage!

**The more I added to this chapter, I found a different place to end it. Thus, this chapter will not be rated M. Next chapter will definitely, as some... immoral things happen to our dear characters. GLHF!**

* * *

Jayce sat at the gate, yawning before the stones rose and looking at their enemies on the scoreboard. To his side was Talon, who impatiently paced the walls, likely eager to stick his blade in the enemy midlaner, Ezreal. Jayce felt sorry for the young prodigy. Poking down in the early game only did so much before the enemy hit their high point, Jayce knew that well.

Twitch was leaning up against the store table, standing on his tip toes and trying to haggle for one more potion with the shopkeeper. Yasuo stood beside him, trying to plan out some sort of jungle path. The wanderer slumped down beside Jayce, crinkling the map in his hands. "I hate jungling. I'm not a jungler. What's Kaco thinking..."

Bard hovered over to the two, playing a soft tune as he went, as if he knew Yasuo needed something to cheer him up. The wind warrior smiled at the pale mask, a silent thanks. Bard stopped the song as the stones rose, and placed his hand on Yasuo's shoulder in a sort of comforting touch. The team separated, and Jayce headed top with Yasuo trailing along beside him. The two stopped at the golem camp, and promptly tried to waste time until the rocky beasts spawned. Yasuo balanced the hilt of his blade on his foot, silently amusing himself. Jayce looked around wary of the bushes. You could never be sure with Rengar on the rift.

"I'd rather deal with the time kid in the jungle, honestly." Yasuo said quietly, staring towards the tribush further down the path.

"I figured he'd be in this game. I haven't fought against him yet. Not even with him actually, can you believe it?"

Yasuo shrugged. "I don't have much of a problem against him, but everyone else seems to. He's disabled anyways, I guess. Heard some sumoners talking about it before we transferred in."

"Oh shit!" Jayce flinched, nearly jumping out of his skin when a small critter ran out of the bush. It saw them and froze, as if they were blind to it when it didn't move. Jayce coughed and turned away, letting it flee back to the safety of the bush. Nothing more terrifying than a guy with a giant hammer and a robot with an orange sword. "Really? So soon? Why?"

"I can't remember what they said. Something about his equipment maybe?" Yasuo said absentmindedly, turning to attack the large golem that leaped out of the jungle. Jayce helped him the best he could before running up to his lane. Jayce frowned as he passed the first turret, seeing Rumble dancing in the middle of the lane, ignoring the dying minions around him.

 _'Ignore him, just farm.'_

 _'He's open though, I COULD shock blast him right in his furry face.'_

Jayce didn't receive an answer from his summoner, but complied, ignoring the mechanized yordle and focusing on last hitting. The next 10 minutes became a mindless farm battle. Little to no harass, per the request of his summoner. Rumble was left to his own devices, and Jayce fumed silently, aware that Rumble would vastly outdo Jayce in terms of teamfight potential. He couldn't just be _left_ to farm. The inventor grit his teeth, fighting the urge to test his summoner's control.

In the corner of Jayce's eye, Yasuo made a swift dive out of the river bush. Wind wound around him, and he swept towards Rumble with impressive grace. One tornado flung, and Rumble was nearly flung from his machine. The yordle cursed loudly at them, and turned on Yasuo, his flamethrower blasting a horrid heat upon the wanderer. Jayce fired off an accelerated shock blast before switching his weapon to it's hammer form. He flipped into the air, using the weight and momentum of the hammer to deliver a devastating blow to Rumble's side. Yasuo sprang back towards them, dashing across the minion wave and sending a flash of electricity across his blade. The lightning slammed into Rumble, igniting a small fire in the mecha which quickly exploded, sending the little yordle flying.

 **Rampage!** The announcer said intensely, as a testament to how well Yasuo had been doing this game. The two men walked towards their allied top tower, preparing to recall. The minion wave slammed into Rumble's tower, and the little creatures ignored the lazer blasting away at them, hitting the giant guardian with all their might.

 **Killing spree! Double kill! Triple kill! Rampage!** The announcer said in quick succession, drawing Jayce and Yasuo's attention to the scoreboards. The respawn times of Ezreal, Ashe and Lulu popped up on the screen, and Twitch's kill count was at an impressive 6/0/1. Yasuo smiled, leaning against the tower as he initiated his recall. "Hah, what do you think Jayce, easy game, easy life?"

"I think you were paranoid about your ability to jungle not just 15 minutes ago." Jayce commented, eyeing the bushes.

Yasuo shrugged, "I've got Coco."

"What? Who?" Jayce laughed, starting his own recall. The only thing more laughable than Yasuo's issue with drunkards, while being one himself, was his inability to remember important things. Like being on time, pinging, and names.

"You know, the summoner. Popular. High in the ranked standings. Coco. Kaco? Fuck, I can't say his name right."

"...Kakao?"

Yasuo clapped his hands and gave Jayce a laugh of confirmation before disappearing. The inventor shook his head and chuckled, manually shifting his Mercury Hammer back into cannon form. He didn't know why, but the transformation felt kind of clunky in the past few battles he'd fought. He'd have to see what was wrong with it when he got back to his lab.

Jayce grabbed a couple potions and the rest of his Manamune when he arrived back at the base. He frowned to himself as he traveled towards mid, eyeing a fight that was about to break out. He pinged missing on Rumble, knowing full well that a surprise Equalizer could turn this battle on it's head. His thoughts turned to the new champion. Disabled after the first, what, two weeks here? Equipment issues? Jayce wondered about his Mercury Hammer, and the clunky feeling he just couldn't quite pinpoint. What if he couldn't find the problem and fix it by the time the Summoner's Season began? Would he have to ask to be disabled? Would the Institute disable him anyways, because the summoners complained about it? Jayce had never been disabled before. Never asked to be, and was never forced to be. He wasn't exactly a League veteran, but he'd been here long enough to have given the Institute and the summoners the good majority of his time. It would feel strange not having this. Jayce eyed midlane as he walked past the first tower, seeing Talon get slammed into the ground by the opposing Rengar. Jayce ran towards them, plowing his hammer into Rengar's flank and throwing him off the assassin. Talon scrambled to his feet, pulling out a potion and spitting at the jungler. "Glorified fucking house cat!"

Rengar leaped back up and roared at the two before disappearing into the bushes. Jayce caution pinged bot, who had pushed far past the enemy's second tier turret. He played defense for Talon, bodyblocking the pulse shots Ezreal relentlessly sent their way. Jayce cursed under his breath, turning to Talon. "Can you fight?"

Talon shook his head, retreating to the safety of their tower. "I'm out of everything. Summoner's got TP, drop a ward."

Jayce fired an accelerated shock blast at Ezreal, who blinked out of the way just a little too late. Ezreal brushed the burns along his arm and cursed, running towards bot side. Jayce pinged a caution again, seeing that Twitch and Bard had taken no heed to his first pings, and were locked in a bloody battle with Rumble. Jayce ground his teeth and decided to follow the prodigy, though begrudgingly so. He pulled a ward out of his coat pocket, tossing it into mid bush's left side. He never really cared where they landed, as long as they were pretty much in the area that he'd thrown them. The bush illuminated, and Jayce immediately regretted his exploration.

A pulse shot blasted him right in the face, and Jayce stumbled back. His body was pulled towards the ground as the effects of the frozen gauntlet took effect, and the inventor cursed his luck. Ezreal ventured closer towards Jayce, firing another shot that slowed Jayce even more. He turned to the boy, slamming his hammer into Ezreal's chest and flinging the prodigy back into the bushes. Jayce panted and tried to pull himself back into motion, irritated beyond belief. Nothing frustrated him more than being unable to move. A growl sounded from the bushes, and Rengar leaped out, slamming Jayce into the ground. The breath blew from Jayce's lungs, and his hammer landed a short distance away. Jayce coughed into the dirt and rolled, facing the beast. Rengar roared in his face, and the extendable claws on his forearm slid out. Jayce pushed against Rengar's chest with his foot, using the cat's weight to push himself out of the way of the jungler's stab. The gouging bones stuck into the dirt, missing Jayce by only a hair. In his peripheral vision, Jayce saw the ward he'd placed glow bright blue, signalling a teleportation. Ezreal turned to it, shielding his eyes from the nearly blinding light before realizing their impending doom.

"Shit, run!" The prodigy shouted to Rengar, quickly blinking out of the bush. The escape attempt was useless, and a homeguarded Talon dashed from the bushes, zoning Ezreal down and bursting him into oblivion. Jayce struggled against Rengar, who had accepted his fate and was now determined to drag the toplaner into respawn with him. Jayce pushed back against the hunter, trying to inch himself towards his weapon. A bright object in the sky caught his eye, and Bard's ult rained down upon the two, freezing them.

It felt warm. Comforting almost, and Jayce nearly relaxed in the serene setting. But within seconds it was over, and he was still laying under Rengar, watching helplessly as the jungler's sharp blade swung down towards Jayce's chest. Suddenly Talon threw himself into Rengar's side, pulling him off of the inventor and flinging him away. Jayce dove towards his weapon, swinging it around and blindly firing a shock blast towards the enemy jungler. The explosion smashed into Rengar's back, sending him reeling with a pained cry. Talon took the opportunity and leaped up, shoving his blade deep into Rengar's throat. The beast fell back and Talon clung to him, rolling away with the momentum when Rengar finally hit the ground. Talon gave his blade a quick shake as he stood, flicking the blood onto the grass.

 **Double kill!** The announcer declared, displaying Talon's holographic portrait in the sky. Talon was silent as he looked at it, his face emotionless. It was evident he was having a sort of mental argument with his summoner when Talon suddenly twitched, turning away from the holograph and walking over to Jayce. He held his hand out to the inventor, and Jayce took it, appreciative as the assassin helped pull him to his feet.

"Watch where you shoot that thing." Talon commented, walking past Jayce and heading towards his turret to recall.

"Aha, shit, yeah that's my bad. Sorry kiddo." Jayce snapped his mouth shut, turning and walking briskly towards toplane. He didn't dare turn to see how Talon reacted to being called 'kiddo', but he could hear a confused 'wha?' come from around the turret. Jayce shook his head as he walked through the jungle. He felt like he hadn't done anything all game. It was partially because his summoner seemed tired and it felt like his mind was in a different place other than the battle. But Jayce knew part of the problem was himself, and he just couldn't focus completely on himself and his fighting. Blindly firing a shock blast? Had it hit the noxian, Jayce would have been gutted, teammate or not.

His mind trailed to other things. His weapon, the clunky feeling, the new champion and his disabling. All of Jayce's unfinished projects and that glowing green device. The Primal Gear, and the stranger that commissioned it's creation. Jayce breathed a sigh of relief as a surrender vote popped up, signalling the enemy's acceptance of their defeat. Jayce nearly laughed when he looked at the map. With everything happening mid, Bard, Yasuo, and Twitch had shoved past the inhibitor and taken down one of the nexus towers, not letting Rumble, Ashe, nor Lulu stop their reign of terror.

Green light swirled around the champions on the rift, transferring them back to the Institute. The tingling of the teleportation returned, but this was a different kind of feeling. This was warm, too warm, as it healed their wounds and rested their bodies. Jayce thought it felt like the Shurima Desert. Hot, humid, and was maybe pleasant for a short while, if you'd lived in Freljord all of your life. Jayce tried to relax in it, but an unease prickled under his skin. He felt like he was forgetting something. Like when you're paranoid that you'll somehow oversleep an important meeting, despite the copious amounts of alarms you set up. And then you jump awake, only to find that you've woken up hours before you were supposed to. Jayce had the eerie feeling he should have jumped awake long ago...

Jayce felt his boots tap on metal, and he opened his eyes. He stood in the transferring chamber alongside 9 other champions. Two transferring platforms stood empty, and would stay vacant until Hexakill returned later in the year. He stepped off the elevated panel, feeling tired as he rested his Mercury Hammer against the wall. Rengar gave him a friendly pat on the back, showing a toothy smile as he passed. Jayce smiled back, thankful that despite everyone trying their damnest to kill each other on the Rift, some people could still consider each other friends off the battlefield. Rengar was one such being. Always friendly, if a bit threatening while doing so.

The summoners from the game walked out of the summoning chamber, mingling with their champions and talking over the battle. One of them latched onto Yasuo, laughing and patting the wanderer's shoulders. Yasuo laughed as well, pulling that summoner into a side hug while trying to juggle talking to those who had watched the battle. Jayce saw Lord Armon walk out, looking perturbed. He turned away from his summoner, walking out of the transferring chamber. He wasn't interested in listening to the man talk about their gameplay, or try and plan their date. Or, dare he say it, complain about the clunky feeling in Jayce's ult. He _KNEW_ , dammit. Jayce escaped out the wide door, scurrying away alongside Talon, Twitch and Rengar. Rengar walked quickly passed Jayce, leaning forward and practically snatching Talon from his speedwalk. The noxian froze, turning to stare at the grinning cat.

"I almost got you, little assassin. Next time." Rengar laughed, patting Talon's shoulder and walking off. Jayce chuckled, only for Talon to whip around and glare at him. He nearly stumbled back from the sheer aggression, but settled for holding his hands up in mock innocence. The assassin walked off, ignoring Twitch snickering loudly at him. The rat trotted off, seemingly heading to one of the many diners in the Institute. The entire building was large and had many different wings within it. The main building was a large circle, with the transferring chamber, the summoner's chamber, the teleportation room and the audience arena being in the middle. Dotted around the outer circle were shops, restaurants, bars: you name it. Many people, whether tourists, summoners or champions, came to the main building to partake in or watch the battles that went on in the rift. What better to watch a battle with than a soda and a burrito? If it was a particularly good fight, sometimes you even got to watch the fight off the Rift, usually initiated in the transferring chamber or closely outside it by angry champions, or even, though rarely, angry summoners. Because of such fights, the walls around and inside the transferring chamber were dotted with dents and tears. Someone had taken to marking them, putting dates and the cause next to each mark of damage. Some found it kind of amusing. The Institute did not.

Jayce watched Twitch walk off bemusedly, noticing the strange capsules of green attached to his belt. Jayce stopped and stared, wide eyed, before taking off after the rat. "Wait! Wait, Twitch!"

The marksman paused a few feet away, turning to stare up at the inventor ran over. Twitch sneered at him, glancing towards the diner like he was tempted to stealth out of the impending conversation and eat. Jayce pointed towards it, trying to be as accommodating as possible towards the rat, and offered him a free meal. Twitch eyed Jayce suspiciously, but accepted. They didn't talk often, if at all. Twitch had zero reason to listen to nor answer his questions, and Jayce hoped that bribing him with dinner would help. Jayce sat down at one of the smaller tables outside the diner, pulling a taller chair from a neighboring table for Twitch, who climbed up the rungs to sit on it. The rat adjusted his glasses and placed his head in his paws, staring at Jayce. "At least you bought me dinner first, hmm?"

"Haha, yeah. This is going to sound strange, but you haven't lost any of your bottles of... goo... have you?" Jayce asked, waving a waitress over. The inventor eyed the menu, crinkling his nose. This diner seemed to specifically cater to zaunite gourmet, if you could even call it that. Terieye Mainch? What even _was_ that. _"Filet of terieye, freshly caught and steamed in a homemade and homegrown zaunite herb mixture lovingly refered to as 'mainch', for a lemon and grain flavor"_ Jayce shrugged. It didn't actually sound bad.

The rat twitched slightly, glancing away from the menu and at his small green potions. He seemed to count them slowly, and then recount them, before looking back up to Jayce. "No, no. Not mine. I hardly ever lose things, you know."

Twitch gave a toothy smile, which grew wider when he noticed Jayce's discomfort. "Why, dare I ask. What did you find?"

The waitress walked over, her fluffy purple hair tied up and hairsprayed to the point of plastic consistency in a bow formation. At the base of the 'hair bow' was an actual bow, bright pink and covered in small white dots. Jayce tore his eyes away from the monstrosity, trying to concentrate on the meal. "Uh, Terieye Mainch, please."

Twitch ordered a Regin Burger, and Jayce didn't dare look to see what the menu said about it. The inventor frowned, thinking back to the green cylinder he found at the stand. As he was close now, Jayce could clearly see that the capsules were very different. Twitch's glowed a bright lime green, which radiated from the liquid inside like poison. Which, Jayce would bet, was exactly what it was. "I found something that looked like your bottles, but doesn't really, I suppose. Sorry to bother you about it."

Twitch sniffed, looking almost disappointed. "What _does_ it look like then?"

Jayce shrugged, staring off into space. "It glows like yours, but not the same color, nor the same intensity. The closer I looked, the more it seemed like it wasn't the liquid inside the capsule that glowed, but the air. Though now, I'm questioning whether it's actually even air or not."

Twitch stayed silent, thinking hard. The waitress arrived with their food and Jayce stared wide eyed at the plate that was given to him. Jayce thought terieye was a fish. This... was not a fish. The meat was blue and scaled and had spines growing out from it in seemingly random areas. A small barbed antennae hung from the top, with a bluish orb resting at the end. It looked like the hide of the mud lizards that pulled people into the bubbling bog. Jayce held his stomach, suddenly feeling ill. To his side, a thin but wide burger sat in front of Twitch, who dusted it with pepper and salt. Twitch licked his lips, and Jayce tossed money onto the table, standing up and looking away from the vile food. The rat stared up at him, eyeing Jayce's food out of the corner of his eye. "Leaving so soon?"

Jayce steadied himself with a white knuckled grip on the table, reminded that all he'd had that day were three cups of coffee and one last piece of the wrapped mints Ashe had been handing out three weeks ago that Jayce just happened to find in his coat pocket. Despite his low blood sugar and impending headache, Jayce was probably going to opt out of eating for the rest of the day, knowing all too well the images of this terieye thing were going to haunt his stomach for a good long while. "I think I'm just gonna go home actually. Dinner's on me. Enjoy."

"The device you mentioned, it does sound familiar." Twitch said, pulling the plate of terieye mainch towards him. "Might be one of Singed's things. An acid bomb, perhaps. I'd watch your fingers when tinkering with it."

Jayce stared at the rat, watching him pull the top bun off his burger and rest the filet of terieye on top of the meat steak. Twitch slathered it all in a concoction of salt, pepper, and mayonnaise, and slammed the top bun back on. Jayce looked away, feeling dizzy, and walked off. What Twitch said stuck with him, and made the inventor saltier than he'd been all day. Jayce wasn't in the mood to deal with Singed today. He was, and would never ever probably be in the mood actually. Singed spoke with a distinct noble accent, and always had a mocking tone. Somehow Singed always had information that in no uncertain terms he should have access to, which he used for blackmail and incessant teasing. Jayce couldn't stand the scrawny chemist. If this device _did_ belong to Singed, he would definitely take it apart in stead of giving it back. Just as Twitch said, it could be a bomb.

Jayce walked to the teleportation room, slouching as he went. Damn he was tired. And just the thought of having to head back to his lab and work further on stabilizing agents and animal tech made him even more so. Jayce looked at the screen beside the platforms in the teleportation room. A digitalized map of Valoran lit up across the screen, with different circles dotted around the map, signaling where an Institute Tower was, and where teleportation was enabled. Jayce tapped the dot for the Institute Tower in Piltover and stepped onto the platform. Jayce had become so accustomed to the teleportation, he had to remind himself sometimes that it was quite comfortable. At times, the inventor became so caught up in what he was working on and doing, that he forgot to pay attention to the little things.

Jayce arrived at the Tower to find it relatively empty. The skies outside were dark, and the room was illuminated only by the outside street lights shining through the windows. Astounded, Jayce searched for a clock, finding it far later than he expected. No wonder he was so tired...

Despite being referred to as "Institute Towers", they were more like "Institute Beacons", as the building itself was actually rather short, being only around 2 to 3 floors tall, depending on the city it was in, and generally not very wide. A tall runic beacon pieced the middle of the building and ran far up into the sky. The beacon caught the particles that were teleported, and reassembled them at it's base. The beacons acted like magnets, each separate one on a subtle but extremely effective frequency that tuned in on particles and pulled them towards the chosen area.

Jayce found himself as the sole person in the Piltover Tower, and evacuated immediately. The though of his bed pulled him towards his lab, and he silently thanked whoever laid the foundation for the Institute Towers, as this one was quite close to where Jayce lived. He quickly made his way through the city, passing the park, his favorite coffee shop, the area where Vi tackled him into a wall the first time they met after Jayce jaywalked a busy intersection, and finally past the market street. His home was in view, and Jayce breathed a sigh of relief. A few people still strolled the town, but as the sun went down you could seem them start to scurry for home. Piltover wasn't like Zaun in the way that the streets were bad after night. Hell, the streets were bad in Zaun in the _daytime_. Bad people were everywhere, and they weren't constricted by city lines. Their attitudes, and the way they went about things did differ from town to town, however. A good portion of the bad people in Piltover were cunning and conniving, and knew exactly what they were doing. Jayce pulled his coat closer to him as he entered his building, feeling an eerie chill in the air. He made his way over to the elevator and rested his head on the doors, jabbing his thumb into the button to summon the machine. The doors to the building opened behind him, and Jayce froze. But almost as if opened by the heavens, the elevator arrived and the doors opened to him.

"Hey, wait! Are you Jayce?" A young voice called out from the building's lobby. Jayce cursed, pushing his number into the keypad on the elevator, thankful when the doors started to close.

"I'm uh, I'm really tired, we'll talk tomorrow!" Suddenly a boy slid through the elevator doors, making it through just as they closed. Jayce nearly had a heart attack, between the boy jumping in and the thought of him getting smashed in the doors, and he stared wide eyed at the kid, who stared back just as wide eyed. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"You're Jayce, right?" He asked, relaxing against the doors when he realized he'd made it through unscathed. Jayce twitched, his irritation growing the more the boy ignored him.

"Yes! What the fuck are you doing?" Jayce yelled, becoming angry. He wasn't up for this. He was too tired, and was actually starting to get kind of hungry. His mind may be petrified by the thought of the terieye, but his stomach cared little for what his brain feared. The kid glared at Jayce, pointing his gloved finger at the inventor. "Don't fucking yell at me! You stole my capsule!"

Jayce dropped his hands, "Don't curse at me, you're like 12!"

The kid's jaw dropped and he looked indignantly at Jayce. "What? Are you fucking kidding me? I'm 16!"

"All the same. And I didn't steal anything, kid, who told you that?"

"I could piece it together myself, I tracked it all the way here, it took me fucking _days_! Just give it back!" The kid yelled back, sneering at Jayce. The man rubbed his face, leaning back against the elevator walls. He was so, so tired. He didn't need some loud, foul mouthed kid screaming at him about a stolen toy. Jayce looked up suddenly, thinking about the device he'd bought in the market. He stared at the boy in front of him, eyeing the dirt, mohawk, and scroungy zaunite clothing. There was no way the device could belong to him. Stolen maybe. Jayce frowned, glaring the kid down. "Yours? How do I know that?"

The kid gave him a blank look and then threw his hands up in exasperation. "Seriously? You're a fucking champion, Jayce. How do you not know me?"

Jayce stopped, staring at the boy before laughing. "Oh shit, you're the new champion. Time kid, right?"

"Ekko.." The kid said, a frown set deeply into his young face. The elevator doors behind him opened, and Ekko fell back, smacking his head against the gate and landing on the ground. "Fuck, oww."

"Stop cursing." Jayce walked over him, opening the gate and walking through with a chuckle. "So, what is it?"

"Better question: Why'd you fucking steal it?"

"I told you, I didn't steal it. I bought it. So, technically..." He watched Ekko closely, dropping his coat on a chair. The kid stared around the lab, looking at different items and devices in a keen wonder. He smiled, "Technically, it's mine."

Ekko stopped, turning towards him with a look of horror. "What? But it was _stolen_ , you can't fucking keep it!"

"Fine, I'll give it back." Jayce said, staring Ekko down. "But, you have to tell me what it is."

The boy frowned, glaring at Jayce. "I don't trust you though."

"Well that sucks, I'll have a great time taking it apart." Jayce chuckled, turning away from Ekko. The inventor could practically _feel_ the kid bristling. Jayce had no intention of just giving it away. Not to some zaunite punk, Champion of the League or not. His attitude had to be turned down significantly. And the cursing...

"I'll tell you what it is, just fucking give it back." Ekko said, grinding his teeth. Jayce turned back to him, a wide smile plastered on his face. He could tell this might as well be torture for the chonotechnic. Ekko glared at him and made a waving motion. "Well? Happy?"

"Very, actually. So what is it." Jayce sat down in the chair, relaxing as Ekko begrudgingly sighed.

"It's the container for the chonotic particles in my Z-Drive. Whenever I want to alter it, I have to take all the particles out. They're very unstable, and they'll disperse if they're released from the container, so I have to put them into a pressure controlled cylinder. Those particles are one of a kind, and I'll never be able to get them back if you fuck it up!" Ekko explained, emphasizing the last sentence. Jayce yawned, resting his head in his hand. The concept was actually fascinating, and Jayce wished he was more awake so he could ask questions and try and convince Ekko to explain a couple things, but right now Jayce was close to nodding off. If he had opened that device, what would have happened to the chronotic particles? Would they have dispersed like smoke, or would the sudden change in pressure have caused a reaction?

"I didn't mess with it, I promise. I'll go get it for you." Jayce said genuinely. His words seemed to calm Ekko a little, who went back to looking around the lab. Jayce pulled himself to his feet, pausing for a moment to mentally find the capsule and realizing, that he had no idea where it was. He froze and almost laughed out loud, astounded at the level of bad luck he was producing today. He walked past Ekko, motioning for the kid to look around as he pleased, and tried to track down the capsule. Jayce looked across his tables, searching through all of his trinkets and finding nothing. He plopped down in a chair, racking his mind. Memory of the annoying alarm sang through Jayce's head and he jogged towards his room, finding his jacket on the floor of his bedroom. Jayce pulled the cylinder out of the jacket pocket, smiling as he looked at the glowing green device. It was dainty, almost beautiful in a way. And... cracked? Jayce frowned, looking at a tiny crack in the top of the glass that hadn't been there before. It wasn't cracked all the way through, but there was still a visual break. Almost as if it had been stepped on.

Jayce stopped, realizing slowly that when he had left for the Institute, he'd hung his jacket up. He looked around, noticing small things misplaced. With horror and a fast beating heart, Jayce recalled that he had not had to unlock his gate when he'd arrived from the Institute. Someone had been here..

Jayce backed out of his room and heard a low clunking sound, making him nearly drop the cylinder. He wound it in the blankets on his bed and threw them off the other side, hidden from view by the door. He ran out of his room and through the hall, racing into the room Ekko was in. The boy glanced up at Jayce, holding part of the Primal Gear, which he quickly tossed down. "I wasn't-"

Jayce held his finger to his lips, giving Ekko a look. His mouth immediately snapped shut and he turned, looking around the room. Jayce walked over to him, nearly plucking the boy off his feet. "You didn't come up here looking for me, did you?"

The boy's startled chocolate eyes stared at him and he shook his head. Jayce let him go, looking around the room wildly. "Look, I'm really fucking sorry about this, and I promise I'm not trying to cheat you out of your chonotic device, but we have to get the fuck out of here."

Ekko stared at Jayce, studying him for a moment before frowning and nodding. Jayce placed his finger over his mouth again, making it a point to keep quiet. He pointed towards the elevator, motioning that he'd be right with him. Ekko walked slowly towards it, and Jayce turned, wildly looking around his lab. There was nothing he could take, nor lock up in the amount of time he thought he had. Who had been here? No one knew his input code in the elevator. It had to have been hacked, but it should have been noticeable. That is, if Jayce had been paying attention to the keypad at all. His focus was on the gutterpunk child that invaded the elevator and avoided being smashed in the doors by less than a hair. Jayce ran his hand across his mouth and cursed, at a loss of what to do. From down the hall, Ekko yelled out, and a sharp tingling struck through the room. Jayce's hair stood on end and there was a metallic taste in the air. Electricity? Jayce sprinted through his lab, finding Ekko near the elevator, sprawled across the floor. The boy twitched and writhed in pain, and Jayce could see five shards stuck shallowly in his back, sending currents of electricity through him. 9 people filled the room, all wielding weapons and staring Jayce down. He ground his teeth, holding his hands up in surrender. He couldn't fight this. There was no way.

One of the men held a gun up, a long blue streaked weapon with five shards sticking out of the end. Jayce dashed to the side, but the shards found their way into his chest, sending bolts of lightning and pain streaking through him. He screamed in pain, shuddering on the floor as his consciousness faded. He panted and groaned, listening to dulled sounds of the men talking. The words were muffled and dim, and Jayce's sight slowly fell into darkness.


	3. One Week

**Rape warning. Honestly, I got a little depressed writing this chapter, and went to bed with an upset stomach. Hope it makes you as disgusted as it made me. GLHF!**

* * *

Jayce jumped awake, prodded by the kicking at his heels. He groaned, a dull but sufficient pain throbbing in his head. Looking up, he found his lab filled with nine other people, all wielding weapons. One of the men, a taller, bulky and broad individual, looked keenly at Jayce. He radiated an aura of authority, and had a sick smile resting on his bearded face. Jayce glared at him and sat up straighter, finding himself tied to a chair. Ekko was pinned down in between two men across the room, forced onto his knees with his arms tied behind his back. More than anything else, the zaunite looked angry. Jayce would have smiled, if he wasn't so sure these people would break his jaw for doing so. The man followed Jayce's gaze, smiling wider as he looked at Ekko, who spit at him. The man laughed and turned back to Jayce, a cheeky look on his face. "You. You are Jayce, yes?"

Jayce nearly flinched, recognizing that thick accent. Viktor had nearly the exact same one, though significantly more robotic nowadays. Just hearing it infuriated him, and Jayce struggled against the bonds on his wrists and arms. It seemed these people had done this many times before, and the bonds held strong, not even budging against the force Jayce placed on them. He himself was tempted to spit in the man's face, but settled for a glare instead. The man smiled again, motioning at Jayce. "Strong champion reduced to so little. I may not hurt you. But you need to give me what I want."

"What do you want? I have nothing here that's complete, or worth what you're going to go through when the authorities catch you." Jayce said, relaxing in the chair. He pushed his body as far away from the bonds as possible, subtly checking to see if he could squirm out somehow. The man turned away and grabbed a knife, turning it delicately in his hands. It was a large flat blade, the dull end came downwards to a point and had a steep curve on the sharp side, with a thick base. He passed his hand over the flat side, motioning towards Jayce's boots.

"If you keep squirming I will cut off your toes." He said simply, the smile never leaving his face.

Jayce stopped, staring at the man. The casual way he said it sent shivers down Jayce's spine. He wasn't lying, Jayce believed that completely. "Who are you."

"I am Rorik. And you are Jayce." The man smiled, waving the blade around. He pointed at Ekko with the knife, flipping it a couple times for good measure. "And this is..."

Ekko was unphased by the large blade, and nearly lunged out of the grip of the two men standing over him. They pulled him back, and Ekko fought every second, pushing against them and biting when they misplaced their hands. "Fuck you! How's that!" He snarled at them.

Jayce swallowed, watching the man stare Ekko down. His heart skipped a beat when Rorik made a motion to stand, realizing that this man would have no problem with hurting the kid. "What do you want?" He asked, hoping to distract the man from whatever he had planned to do to the zaunite.

Rorik turned back towards Jayce with a look on his face that made it seem like he'd nearly forgotten about the inventor altogether. He laughed, looking back at Ekko and then to Jayce. He hoped like hell they'd leave the kid out of this. He wouldn't be able to stand knowing that Ekko got injured because of him. Simultaneously, Jayce really really hoped Ekko kept his fucking mouth _shut_ , and stopped being so reckless. Rorik pulled his chair closer to Jayce, laughing as he went. Finally he sat down, twisting the blade in his hands. "We are here for Primal Gear, you see. It has been overdue, and should be finished."

"It's not finished, and won't be for at least another 2 months." Jayce said, swallowing hard as the man's face twisted into a cruel smile. That was exactly this man exactly what he wanted to hear. He was looking for a reason to hurt them. Jayce closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself. They weren't going to get out of this without a beating. Jayce just wondered if he could somehow keep Ekko out of this. The kid was here under unfortunate circumstances, and Jayce would feel like absolute shit if Ekko was injured because of this.

"That is a shame you see, we need it in, at most, a week." The man said, giving a mock frown. "If you cannot deliver, we might have to take certain... measures."

Jayce shook his head, looking back towards Ekko. His earlier suspicions were correct. These people were going to use the Primal Gear for something terrible. He couldn't just give it to them. "There's no way I can do it in that amount of time. The device is-"

The man made a small motion with his hand and the two men holding Ekko dragged him to Rorik by the hair, ignoring the kid cursing and kicking at them. Jayce tensed, his heart dropping like a stone. "Wait wait, stop!"

Rorik sat down at the chair, grabbing Ekko by his jaw and drawing him closer. He smiled widely, handing the knife to one of the men holding Ekko. He sat up taller in the chair, smiling as if Ekko wasn't glaring a death threat at him. "Could you perhaps finish the Primal Gear wi-"

Ekko spat in his face, sneering at Rorik. "Go fuck yourself, you piltie piece of trash!"

Rorik wiped the spit off of his face, laughing. He stood and unbuttoned his pants, pulling them down before sitting again. He bounced, as if moving to the beat of a good song, and stroked his penis. "You have a big mouth. Shall we put it to use?"

Ekko flinched, his entire demeanor changing when he saw Rorik pull his flaccid member out. Jayce struggled against bonds even harder, taking no heed to the red marks he was making in his own skin. He pulled and tugged until his wrists bled, screaming at the men. "Stop, stop! I can fucking finish it! Please, leave him alone! He's got nothing to do with this!"

Rorik grabbed Ekko by the back of his hair, pulling the squirming boy over with a forceful ease. The other men laughed, pinning Ekko down in between Rorik's legs. Ekko struggled wildly, his jaw clamped shut hard as Rorik pushed his member against the boy's lips. Jayce nearly tipped his chair over from struggling so hard, screaming at the mean to no avail. "I can finish it, I'll fucking finish it! What's wrong with you people? He's just a fucking kid!"

"Cut his fingers off." Rorik said to the man holding the knife. He bent down, grabbing one of Ekko's fingers and lining it up. Ekko gave a horrified scream the moment the blade touched his skin, and Rorik stuck his cock deep down the boy's throat. The man laughed, tossing the unused blade on the table. Jayce turned away, bile rising to his mouth. He could hear Ekko gagging and Rorik laughed, not slowing the pumping nor loosening his grip on Ekko's hair. Jayce could have puked right then and there. These people were monsters. Jayce stopped struggling, knowing that his distress would just make Rorik act more gleefully vicious. One of the men beside Jayce grabbed him by the hair, turning him back to face the horror that was happening in front of him. He pulled away, and the man threatened Ekko with more if Jayce did not watch. His stomach turned, but he locked his eyes on the boy, trying to blank out what he was seeing.

Ekko's skin paled and tears rolled down his cheeks, struggling in the arms of the people that held him down. He gagged and coughed, but it only made Rorik push himself in further and harder. The boy looked like he might pass out, and Jayce honestly hoped he did. It might lessen the severity of what was happening to him. Rorik leaned back and sighed, humming to himself. Jayce wanted to reach over and strangle the man, and every muscle in his body ached to do so. Ekko was never supposed to be here. This should have never happened. Jayce wanted to scream and fight, take on whatever fate had drawn this up, planned this for some sick plot. This wasn't fair. He was... he was just a kid.

Rorik shuddered, pushing Ekko down deep on his cock and holding him there. Ekko whimpered, gagging on the man. Jayce could see him swallowing, trying desperately to clear his throat so he could just fucking _breathe_. White droplets dribbled out of his mouth and down his chin, in stark contrast to his dark skin tone. Rorik laughed, pulling Ekko off of him and throwing him to the side. Ekko gasped as he hit the floor, coughing and panting. He convulsed and gagged before going limp, taking giant gasps of air. Rorik pulled his pants back up, talking with the other men in a different language. He turned back to Ekko and sneered, picking up the blade. "If you puke in my sight, I'll make you lap it up like the little dog you are."

Ekko shivered again, coughing. Rorik walked over to Jayce, holding the blade up. "I do think that it will be completed by the end of the week, yes?"

"Yes." Jayce said, glaring the man down.

"Good good, that is good." Rorik said, relaxing as he stood up. The men behind him left, all gathering into the elevator. He gave Jayce a friendly smile and patted him on the back, as if they'd been friends forever. "We will be watching you. If you try to leave, we will break your legs. If you try to call for help, we will cut your tongues out. You understand, yes?"

Jayce ground his teeth, "Yes."

Rorik smiled as he left, throwing the blade towards them. The tip stuck into the ground beside Ekko, who finally opened his eyes to blankly stare at it. The man left, but Jayce stayed still, listening to the sounds of the elevator moving down, until he could not hear them at all. And still he waited, calming his beating heart. Ekko suddenly sprang into action, rolling over to the blade and grabbing it, trying to cut his bindings with increasing desperation. Jayce did nothing but watch, even as Ekko called out in pain, having slashed himself in his hurry to be free. Finally the ropes hit the floor and Ekko dove for the trashcan beside the table, vomiting into it.

Jayce sat there in the chair, staring at nothing. Guilt ate him up from the inside. Ekko... would never be the same. Jayce had seen what this did to people. People don't just jump back from that. Especially not a kid. Ekko's sexual life was essentially destroyed. Scars ran deep. Would Ekko ever actually heal from this? Jayce looked up at the boy, watching him gag and retch into the trashcan. He rested his head on the edge, panting and shivering. He wiped tears from his face, staring blankly at the wall. Blood ran down his arm in small streams, dripping off of his elbow. Ekko didn't seem to even feel it. Suddenly he turned and stared at Jayce like he'd forgotten the man existed. He looked around to the side, grabbing the bloodied knife when he finally found it.

Jayce tensed as Ekko walked over. He wiped his face with his gloved hand, shuddering and stumbling as he did so. The streams of blood changed directions, now flowing towards his hand with startling speed. He walked behind Jayce and cut the binds on his arms and wrists, pulling them off before dropping the blade. Jayce stood immediately and Ekko flinched. "Shit, I'm sorry about your t-trashcan."

Ekko's voice was hoarse, and he coughed, holding his throat. Jayce slowly put his hands on Ekko's shoulders and pulled him into a hug, his stomach twisting with guilt. "I'm so fucking sorry, Ekko. My god, I'm so fucking sorry."

Jayce didn't think to question whether Ekko was okay with being touched right now, nor whether Jayce's attempt at comforting him was going to be welcomed. The zaunite tensed up initially, but slowly relaxed and stood there quietly, pausing in Jayce's embrace. Finally Ekko lowered his head, resting it on the inventor's shoulder. Jayce could feel tears start to wet his shirt, and he pulled Ekko a bit closer, trying to comfort him. The zaunite's tears slowly subsided, and he simply rested against Jayce, seemingly trying to regain his strength. He looked as tired as Jayce felt, and again guilt prickled under the inventor's skin. Guilt and anger.

Ekko stumbled, nearly falling straight to the ground. Jayce tightened his grip on him and pulled Ekko up, who looked just as surprised as Jayce. The kid was pale and waved from side to side like he was dizzy. Jayce held him close, grabbing the boy's arm and eyeing the cut. It was deep, and still bled strongly. Ekko clung to Jayce's shoulder, almost collapsing on the inventor as his strength started waning. "Fuck... what's wrong with me?"

"You're bleeding out. You cut yourself, remember?" Jayce snapped, catching himself only after the words had tumbled out. He shook his head, both thankful that Ekko didn't seem to hear him and worried. Ekko wobbled on his feet, putting more of his weight on his grip on Jayce's shirt. Jayce sighed, turning his head towards Ekko's ear. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you okay? Trust me for just a second."

Ekko shivered, Jayce's breath flushing across his neck. Ekko rested the side of his head on the inventor's shoulder and nodded slowly. Jayce turned away, his cheeks starting to burn. Why did he just do that? The inventor slapped himself mentally. He put his arm under Ekko's legs and picked him up, carrying him towards the bathroom. Ekko was essentially dead weight, nearly completely limp in Jayce's arms. His head struggled not to roll and he dug the side of his head into Jayce's chest in an attempt to keep himself still. He'd pulled his bleeding arm to his chest, subconsciously trying to keep the blood off of Jayce's shirt, which was actually already bloody. Ekko coughed and groaned. "Fuck. I feel like I'm drunk."

"How do you know what being drunk feels like?" Jayce questioned, kicking open the door to the bathroom.

"You don't know me." Ekko said, laughing lightly before coughing again. Jayce set him in the bathtub, figuring it would be the easiest area to clean off, not to mention the kid needed showered down. The blood had run everywhere, all over Ekko's clothing and skin. In as little time as Ekko had been sitting in the porcelain tub, blood started to pool and run down the drain. Jayce cursed his lack of aptitude in the medical field, but managed to find an old box of medical supplies.

One of Jayce's fellow residents had been a doctor, and lived in the floor just above him. The man grew old and frail, and eventually was forced to leave the building and move to somewhere he could be properly taken care of. That had been a sad day for the entire building. The doctor was one of the first people to move into the building when it was built nearly 60 years ago, and he'd always been friendly and kind to everyone. On the day he left, the man held a sort of free stall at the market, and gave away everything he had. He'd shoved his favorite medic box into Jayce's hands that day. The inventor hadn't thought anything of it. Never even used it, aside from putting a bandage on Vi's bruised knuckles one day when the deputy refused to go to Caitlyn, for fear of what the sheriff would say about Vi's "friendly little bar fight".

Jayce opened the box and scrounged together alcohol, gauze, tape and an extremely old tube of antibiotic ointment. He dumped it all beside the tub and rolled his sleeves up, leaning over to see the damage. Jayce grabbed Ekko's arm, tying his belt around the boy's bicep to stop the bleeding. He was completely limp and his breathing was ragged, and Jayce realized with a start that Ekko had passed out from blood loss. The cut was long and deep, a jagged diagonal line from Ekko's wrist to the middle of his forearm. He couldn't just wrap this up, it needed stitched. Jayce fell back against the edge of the tub, racking his mind for what to do.

Surgeons used wire sometimes, right? Jayce leaped up, running to his workplace. He found the smallest wire he had, grabbed some wire cutters, and snatched his microscopic glasses, running back to the bathroom. He doused the wire in alcohol, wondering for a moment if he should spend time trying to track down a pair of gloves. He looked at Ekko, the bleeding had been slowed by the belt but not completely subsided. Jayce decided very quickly that he didn't have time and pulled a chair over, arranging the supplies on it. He was just thankful that Ekko was really out of it, because he was pretty sure this wasn't going to feel very good. Jayce sat down in the bathtub, gently pulling Ekko's shoulders to lay across his left leg, and weaving his right leg over Ekko's hips. He held the boy's arm in his lap, elevating it with his outstretched leg. He swallowed, brushing sweat off his forehead.

Jayce closed the wound slowly, weaving the wire in as cleanly as he could. It took a good long rhythm of piercing, twisting and cutting, but eventually the bloody gash was closed quite efficiently. Jayce turned the shower on, mildly irritated that it would also rain down on himself, but he accepted it. He washed Ekko's arm and the water ran red, but, slowly but surely, started to clear into a more pinkish color. Jayce kicked the shower off, now seeping wet. He leaned over the tub edge and grabbed a towel, gently rubbing Ekko's arm until it was completely dry. He poured antibiotic on his fingers and rubbed it on the wound as lightly as he could, even lighter still when Ekko nearly jerked back into consciousness. After wiping his hands off, Jayce moved on to the gauze, wrapping it around Ekko's arm not tightly, but securely. He taped the bandage and threw the rest of the roll, finally relaxing back. That felt like it had taken hours, and after Jayce looked at the clock, he realized it had in fact taken nearly two hours to complete that task. 2 in the morning. Jayce groaned, wanting nothing more than to sleep. "Oh my fucking god, kill me."

He looked at Ekko, who was still deathly pale and shaking slightly in the soaking wet cold. Jayce repositioned himself in the tub, laying down and pulling Ekko up beside him. The boy rested on Jayce's chest, still dark to the world. He pulled a couple towels off the rung beside the tub and haphazardly laid them across the two. He rested his head and closed his eyes, planning to sit there for only a second. That's all he needed... just a couple seconds.

* * *

An alarm dragged both Jayce and Ekko from sleep, ringing through the lab with increasing irritation. Ekko groaned, rubbing his eyes. He accidentally elbowed Jayce dangerously close to the man's package, eliciting a startled groan from the inventor. Ekko nearly jumped out of his skin and fell back onto Jayce, who groaned again, having nothing else better to do. Ekko panted, holding his head in his hands. "Ugh, fuck. I think I'm gonna puke."

"Don't do it on me, ugh, please." Jayce said, using his free hand to help prop Ekko up into a sitting position. Jayce's other hand was being used to massage his temples, trying to ease a throbbing headache that sprang into action at the sound of the alarm. Ekko tried in vain to climb out of the tub, but eventually fell out gracelessly, thudding against the floor and groaning. Jayce ignored him. The kid had almost kneed him in the crotch several times trying to clamber out of the bathtub, he really didn't care if the zaunite fell on his face or not. Ekko pulled himself to the toilet, resting his temple against the edge of the bowl. Jayce sat up and his stomach growled. He looked over at Ekko, who, if even possible, was more pale than he had been the night before. So much so that Jayce woke up immediately and hopped out of the tub. Ekko stared at him out of the corner of his eye, still sitting limply against the toilet bowl.

"What?" He asked.

Jayce ignored him, running past to grab the medical box and sift through it. Ekko sat up, watching Jayce. He tilted from side to side and he lurched forward, grabbing the toilet bowl with a white knuckled grip. His face scrunched up in frustration at being unable to keep himself upright, and grumbled, leaning his head against the toilet bowl once more. The nausea was nothing compared to the fury Ekko felt at being too weak to keep himself sitting correctly. Jayce leaned back on his elbow and tapped Ekko's back. The zaunite rolled his head weakly, his chocolate eyes latching onto Jayce's crystal blue.

"What blood type are you?" Jayce asked, his face completely serious. Ekko giggled and shook his head, sitting back up. He rubbed his eyes and fell back, his foot flying up to try and balance himself but it only ended up kicking off the top of the toilet base. Jayce moved his leg in the path of Ekko's fall, cushioning the zaunite's back with his thigh and calf. Jayce tried not to laugh, and shook his head. This kid was a fucking danger to himself. Ekko stared up at the ceiling, blinking slowly and dumbly. "Uh, I don't know. AB?"

"Holy shit kid," Jayce laughed, standing up. "You don't even know how lucky that is."

Jayce set the box on the sink counter and took a syringe out, pausing. The knowledge that he really had no fucking idea what he was doing was starting to sink in. Ekko was essentially dying of blood loss and was a universal recipient, and Jayce still might not be able to help him. He racked his brain, trying to think back to any medical shows he'd seen or when he'd been to the hospital. It would be so much fucking easier if he could go and get help, but Rorik's words echoed in his head. Jayce ground his teeth but tried to put the man at the back of his mind and concentrate on what was in front of him. He found his vein and sterilized the skin with one of the alcohol pads he'd found in the box. He took a deep breath and pushed the needle tip in, running it along the vein. Slowly he pulled the blood out and filled the syringe. He grabbed a cotton ball, doused it with antibiotic and held it on the small bloody mark, taping it down. Jayce held the syringe in his hand and stared at Ekko, at a loss of what to do. An IV.. had something to do with gravity... right?

Jayce ran around his lab, unable to find a bag for the blood. He was, however, able to find a capsule, and cleaned it heavily before pouring the blood in. Jayce ran back and grabbed the syringe, taking a little more blood just in case, and snatched up a rather long clear tube. Carefully, he took the syringe apart, cutting half of the base away and soldering it to the end of the tube. He cut the tube to the length he wanted and soldered the other end to the capsule, making sure everything was firmly sealed. Jayce sighed and rested back against the chair, glaring at the unfinished Primal Gear on the other side of the room. He was going to kill them. Every single one of them, who laughed and chided on as they tortured Ekko. Fury flowed through Jayce's body, but he kept himself calm, determined to help try and fix what he had done.

Jayce helped Ekko move to the bedroom, laying him across the covers. The boy held his head, his face blank and emotionless. It didn't look like he registered anything that was going on, though he tried. And the more he tried, the more frustrated he got, and Ekko shook his head wildly, slamming it back down on what Jayce was thankful were just pillows. Ekko groaned, rolling across the bed as Jayce debated on where to put the makeshift IV. Ekko patted the sheets, slowly running his hand along the unfamiliar softness. He smiled into the pillow, nuzzling it. It felt euphorically soft, and Ekko was certain it was the best thing he'd ever laid on, despite the strange smell. He peeked his eyes open and stared at the room, wondering for a moment where he was. His head throbbed and he grabbed it, groaning and rolling back over towards the inventor.

Jayce hung the capsule on a coat hanger, trailing the tubing down and cleaned the zaunite's lower bicep thoroughly, before inserting the needle. Ekko twitched and looked over at Jayce, opening his mouth like he was about to say something. He seemed to forget midway, and had a confused look on his face before turning away, putting his head back in his hands. Jayce backed away from it, eyeing everything. It seemed to be working, the blood in the capsule trailed slowly down to the needle and let gravity do all the work. He sighed in relief. "Holy shit I'm so happy that's over."

He pulled Ekko's legs up, faceplanting the bottom half of the bed and letting Ekko's legs fall to rest on his back. He laid there for quite some time, not sleeping but simply resting. Thinking. He had a week to finish the Primal Gear, but what would happen to them afterwards? What did Rorik plan to do with it? What did he plan to do with them? Jayce mulled over his thoughts, listening to Ekko breathing. He found it oddly relaxing. His lab was always empty, and had an air of loneliness to it. Jayce didn't have assistants. No coworkers, nor people he would invite over for anything other than a lay. Jayce thought about the depressing feelings of solitude every once in a while, but had always brushed them off. He had Vi and Caitlyn and sometimes he even bumped into Ezreal or Heimerdinger. He didn't need anyone else. Everything was fine the way it was. Sure a constant figure would be...

Jayce peeked off the side of the bed, staring at the rolled up blanket he'd tossed there the day before. A green glow broke through the fabric, shining out at him. He pulled it flat, staring at Ekko's glowing green capsule of time stuff sitting on the blanket like an egg in a nest. He reached towards it, and finding himself short, wiggled under Ekko's legs to gain the last few inches he needed to grab the thing. It seemed to almost pulse a little as he picked it up and Jayce studied it. It was strange. Knowing that all of what made Ekko a dangerous champion of the League was in a capsule in his hand, no bigger than a coffee mug. Knowing that if it fell into the wrong hands, the entire world could be changed. Jayce looked back at Ekko, who was sleeping quietly, completely still. The blood slowly drained into the zaunite, and he looked pleasantly brighter than before. Jayce frowned. Why didn't Ekko thoroughly use the amount of power he had at hand? Could it be that he couldn't? Or... didn't want to?

Jayce shook his head and rolled out from under the boy's legs, hopping up to his feet. Walking out of his bedroom, Jayce glanced around his lab. It really was a mess. There was blood on the floor, ropes from the ties, some... Jayce stopped, staying at the white speckles on the floor. He grit his jaw and grabbed a rag, wiping up the blood and semen. Disgusting. He promptly threw the rag away and pulled open the blinds on the window, hoping to brighten to room and keep himself awake. Looking at the clock, he'd been asleep for nearly 9 hours, yet he still felt so tired...

Jayce stopped, staring outside. On the roof of the two story building beside his lab, there were two men holding some sort of poker game on the rooftop. Jayce recognized them from last night, and sneered. One of them glanced up at Jayce and smirked, downing the rest of his beer and returning to his cards. Jayce moved away, tempted to throw the Primal Gear out of that very fucking window. He sat down at his table and stared at said device, gritting his teeth.

One week.


	4. Blame Game

**I apologize that this chapter is a bit shorter than normal, this week has been rather busy, and my attention span isn't what it used to be. But I promise more is to come soon! GLHF!**

* * *

Jayce hummed to himself, swiveling rhythmically around in his chair, just as he had been doing for the better half of the hour. He leaned back in it and groaned, tapping his temple with the stylus he held in his hand.

The work on the Primal Gear was going slowly. Jayce had spent most of the day running around his lab and making sure he actually HAD all of the components he needed, and determining on each and every piece whether or not he could sabotage it somehow. He deduced that a couple piece that, if both compromised, would allow the wielder of the Primal Gear to use it only around 3 - 4 times before breaking down completely and needing repaired. However if those two pieces WERE compromised, it would be very obvious. No other pieces would give it a sufficient enough debilitation, while giving Jayce and Ekko enough time to prepare for when Rorik would inevitably come back to kill them when he found out. Jayce didn't want to deal with Rorik anymore. The very thought of the man flooded Jayce with anger.

When he wasn't fiddling with the Primal Gear or trying to sneak peaks at the people all over the block that were watching his lab like hawks, Jayce was checking on Ekko. The kid had woken up twice, once mumbling something about someone named Ajuna, and the other time telling Jayce that he was 'absolutely fucking starving, like literally you have no idea', before promptly falling back asleep. Each time, the inventor had nudged him back t o sleep and kept hoping he would stay asleep. He'd had to refill the IV once more before he felt like Ekko had regained enough blood to be completely coherent when he did finally wake. This was difficult of course, since he had essentially destroyed the syringe to create the IV that was stuck into Ekko's arm. Jayce had sufficed by slitting a short cut into his wrist, a bit deeper than had originally intended, and bleeding out the amount he wanted for the zaunite.

In the end, Ekko looked much less pale, and Jayce didn't need stitches for his mild slip up. Paranoia was starting to creep up on him. He didn't know what to do with Ekko when the boy awoke. He wasn't much for genuine comfort, and Ekko didn't seem like the type to want it. Things done in the heat of the moment couldn't be done after everything settled down. Jayce didn't regret holding him, or wrapping him up and healing him. He did regret letting Ekko slip into the elevator and begrudgingly letting him come up into the lab. Mild irritation passed through him. If Ekko wasn't so goddamn _stubborn_ none of this would have happened! Granted he might have been in the lobby, pissed and screaming, but he wouldn't have been...

Jayce groaned again, rubbing his eyes. He was too tired for this shit. The was _not_ how he wanted to spend the week. A low creaking noise startled Jayce and he whipped around to stare at Ekko, who had just stepped out of the hall. He gave Jayce a strange look as he paused, before continuing into the room. "What?"

"I thought you were asleep." Jayce said, turning away to stare dimly at the Primal Gear.

Ekko shrugged, scratching the back of his neck. "Slept for long enough I suppose."

Jayce nodded, frowning at the awkward silence they found themselves wrapped in. He coughed, "Feel better?"

"I'm... yeah. Cept this thing is itchy as all fucking hell." Ekko answered, tugging at the wrappings along his forearm. Jayce twitched with irritation. It really wasn't the cursing itself that got to him, but it was a little excessive, especially for Ekko's age. He hated it when kids cursed. Call it a pet peeve. He watched Ekko wander around his lab, peeking at the zaunite from the corner of his eye. Ekko studied all of the unfinished inventions, roaming around, picking things up, putting them back down, giving small snorts every once in a while. Jayce's irritation grew. It felt almost... violating. And the sarcastic sounds Ekko gave made Jayce feel extremely indignant.

"Would you stop fucking staring at me?" Ekko asked without turning around.

"Would you stop fucking cursing?" Jayce said with a smirk, not missing a beat.

Ekko turned to sneer at the inventor, throwing his hands up in the air. "You just fucking cursed as you said that."

"Yeah, well," Jayce smirked, glancing back at the Primal Gear. "I'm not 12."

He could hear Ekko stomp over and Jayce turned back to look at him, his eyes widening when he saw that the boy had closed the distance very quickly and was now standing directly in front of Jayce, giving him a venomous look. Jayce opened his mouth to speak, but Ekko quickly interrupted him, "I am _not_ a child. I'm almost 17."

Jayce growled in the zaunite's face, not backing down. He wanted a fight? He'd get a fight. "Get out of my face and go brush your damn teeth. Your breath smells like you've been gu-"

Jayce stopped himself, astounded that he was actually going to say something like that. Ekko looked like he'd just been slapped, and flinched before glaring at Jayce once again. His eyes burned like fire and he looked like he was about to strangle Jayce right then and there. "Fucking _say it._ I _dare you._ "

Jayce's jaw hung open and the stung look on Ekko's face burned in his mind's eye. He stood up quickly, walking away from the zaunite. Shame burned his cheeks and he rubbed his face, groaning. He probably deserved whatever Ekko wanted to do to him right now, in all honesty. He looked back at the boy and found him staring at his own hands, at the rope burns that etched bruises deep into his skin. Jayce pulled a chair over for him, which Ekko wordlessly sat in. The inventor headed towards the kitchen and stopped at the counter, hesitating. "Are you hungry?"

"No." Ekko said quietly, staring out the window with an irritated look on his face. Jayce ignored it, feeling shameful enough that he'd even _thought_ about mentioning the... he held his head in his hands, guilt and regret clawing at his insides. They were going to be stuck with each other for a week, and they already hated each other. Fantastic. Jayce made himself a cup of coffee, and after standing there and staring at his mugs for 15 minutes, made Ekko one as well. He grabbed a small bowl of sugar and made his way back to the table, setting one of the coffee cups down in front of the somber boy before sitting back down in his chair. Silence drew on between them, and Ekko didn't even look at the coffee, let alone touch it. Jayce stared at the Primal Gear, cursing the infernal contraption that started all of this. He pushed the bowl of sugar over to Ekko after placing two spoon fulls in his coffee, and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He put the cup to his lips and held it there, not taking a single sip. He groaned again and placed the cup back on the table, putting his head in his hands. "I'm... fuck. I'm sorry Ekko. I didn't want to say that. I didn't mean to. I can't believe I almost did."

Ekko sat there quietly and listened, his facing moving from irritated, to sad, and then to a more neutral expression. He reached over and pulled the sugar over, placing a spoon full in his coffee cup and stirring it slowly. "Do you have any milk?"

Jayce stared at him for a second before nodding, heading back to the kitchen to retrieve it. He set the small jug beside Ekko, who poured it in his cup until the creamy tan liquid ran up to the brim. He leaned down and slurped it loudly, leaving Jayce to roll his eyes as he put the milk away. Sitting back down in his chair, the Primal Gear seemed more intimidating of an objective to tackle than ever before. Ekko chuckled at the horrified look Jayce was giving the device.

"You know," Ekko said, sipping his coffee. "She warned me that you were an asshole."

"Hm?" Jayce cocked an eyebrow at the boy, taking a long drink out of his cup. He was going to need it, he could tell already.

"Vi. She said you were a jackass."

Jayce spit his coffee, coughing violently. Of fucking _course_. How else would Ekko have tracked the capsule down to Jayce? FUCKING VI. "That fucking bitch!"

Ekko chuckled at him again, and Jayce worked to wipe up the mess he'd made. He tossed the rag towards the kitchen, ignoring Ekko, who cocked his eyebrow and gave him a look. If Vi knew that Ekko had been here, she might stop by to see how things had gone. Jayce didn't particularly want to drag her into this, but the extra manpower would be very helpful. Jayce didn't have access to the Mercury Hammer, and Ekko had come to Piltover unarmed. Which, now that he thought about it, seemed very strange...

"Did you come here without your.. uhh, bat thing?" Jayce asked, taking another drink of his coffee.

Ekko snorted and gave his drink an irritated look. "Fucking tophat took it. She said she'd give it back when I went to leave Piltover, but she didn't want me to have it in the city. Confiscating my shit when I came here because a piltie stole my shit in the first place. Fucking classic."

Jayce shrugged, staying silent. It was unlikely that Caitlyn would investigate further when Ekko didn't immediately come back for the weapon. She very much respected a person's privacy, Jayce's in particular since she'd walked in more than once on his.. activities. Vi might get curious, but it was a 50/50 chance whether she would come or not. Jayce cursed. He wished Vi was more damn concerned with people. It would be significantly more helpful.

At one point not long ago, Vi had nearly strangled Jayce when he didn't follow up on one of her ganks, arguing that Gnar had blown his ult and his mega form and was now open to attack. She failed to accept that the broken fucking arm Jayce had gotten from said Gnar ult was a good excuse for not following her for the kill. No matter that he couldn't even hold his damn weapon anymore. She even told him it didn't look that bad, and tried to persuade him to roam mid with her instead of recalling. After the game even Gnar had been more sympathetic. The small yordle might not be the most intelligent one, but he had enough intuition to know when an ingame injury transferred to problems outside of the healing process, and the soreness in Jayce's arm followed him through the recall and the teleport, all the way back to the Institute. The fluffy white yordle had ditched his hat and monocle the moment he stepped off the platform. He'd jumped into Jayce's arms, spouting nonsense that sounded vaguely like an apology, before quickly springing off and tackling Kennen down the hall.

It was simultaneously the most confusing and adorable thing that had happened to Jayce in the Institute thus far.

"Hey, can I... can I use some of this stuff?"

Jayce snapped out of the memory, turning to where Ekko had been sitting and finding the chair empty. The zaunite stood further away, studying the mess of random and unfinished mechanics strewn about the tables. Jayce jumped, "What? Fuck no you can't!"

Ekko turned and gave him an irritated look. "Then what the hell am I supposed to do for a week?"

"Just sit somewhere, I dunno. These are all unfinished project pieces, I don't want you fucking with them just because you're bored." Jayce snapped, hopping up to make sure he hadn't touched anything. Ekko snatched up a random piece laying on the table, shoving it into Jayce's face. "What the fuck is this then? Is this a part of one of your thousand unfinished projects?"

Jayce snatched it out of the zaunite's fist, glaring at him. "YES. It's a piece of... one of the pieces... that go together."

The two stared each other down; Ekko's face remained the same cynical stare, and Jayce started to sweat. He genuinely had no idea what device the piece Ekko had grabbed went to. And the more Ekko stared him down, the more it felt like the boy knew. He turned away from Jayce, waving to all the unfinished trinkets. "You've got so much money that you start all these different projects. So many projects that you're so uninterested in, you don't really commit to their end goal. And when you do finish them, you sell them, to get more money, to take on more projects, that you dislike even more."

Jayce stared at Ekko, unable to say anything. The boy picked up a larger piece and shook it lightly, solemnly watching the dust fall off it. He turned back to match Jayce's gaze, looking almost sad. "I know you're an inventor too, Jayce. They tell stories about you, you know. Hero of Piltover. Greatest young mind of this age. Did they suck all the passion out of you?"

The Defender of Tomorrow stayed silent, shaken at Ekko's calm and startlingly sad words. He tossed the small part he was holding back onto the table and turned away, rubbing his neck. "Do whatever you want. Just don't, you know, destroy the place."

"It's your house man, I'm not doing to mess with shit if you don't want-"

"No," Jayce interrupted, shaking his head. "It's... it's okay."

Ekko watched him leave. Jayce could feel the boy's gaze burning into his back. He went to his bedroom, ignored the empty IV and the blankets littered across the floor, and fell onto his bed. He laid there for a bit, listening to the silence of his lab. Just as it had always been. Silent and empty. Except now it wasn't as empty. It felt like the zaunite had just wandered in and torn Jayce's life apart. Not in a cruel way, but an existential one. Jayce had been ignoring his faults for a long time it seemed. He told himself he was happy. He wasn't alone. He loved what he did. Now it felt all turned around. He wasn't happy. He hadn't been for a long time. Was this what a midlife crisis was? Jayce wasn't even 30 yet...

Maybe it was depression. Jayce mulled over the thought, resting his forehead on the back of his hand. He didn't even know what that was. What did it entail? Sadness? Loss of interest? Was it just a general feeling of unhappiness prolonged over an extensive period of time? How do you come back from it? Jayce rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't want to call it depression. That wounded so dramatic. However, he also didn't want to say it wasn't for certain. Was that denial? He groaned, deciding he was overthinking things far too much for his liking.

He was lonely. And the longer he spent in his lab, surrounded by his lack of motivation, the more strangled he felt. Leaving every morning to go to the coffee shop now looked like it had been an excuse to escape his lab. Everything seemed dreary now. Jayce grabbed one of the pillows at the head of the bed with the intent to rest his head on it, but he just held it in his arms. Hugged it to his body and felt the softness in his hands. He tried to convince himself his life was great. And it _was_ , dammit. He was handsome, he had great money, a dream job, the best choices of any woman or man he could ever want, and a large open laboratory all to his own. Everything felt so forced. So... fake.

Jayce glanced down past the bed, seeing Ekko walk into the room. The boy hovered by the door, looking like he was debating on whether or not to even speak. Finally he walked in, poking Jayce's left leg. "Are you seriously pissed because of what I said?"

"No. I'm just... disappointed you were right, I guess." Jayce said with an empty laugh, staring at the zaunite. Ekko rubbed his arm, looking sheepish that he'd caused such a reaction in the inventor. _I hope you feel bad,_ Jayce thought to himself. _You did this to me._

Ekko turned and sat down on the bed beside Jayce, further towards the head of the bed. Not as close as they'd been in the bathtub, willingly or no. He sighed out loud and rubbed his arm again, his fingers gently running across the fabric of the wrappings. "I have a home in Zaun. In the slums. We live in this old clock tower I found when I was younger. Abandoned as all hell. We fixed it up. Well, me mostly. It's a really cool place. There are good people there, and bad. But every place is like that, you know?"

Jayce looked intently at Ekko, who never met the gaze. He seemed only interested in staring at his own hands, well callused for one so young. Jayce's hands were the same way. Fighter hands. The hands of a Champion of the League. Ekko looked towards Jayce, fixing his eyes on the pillow that the inventor held in his hands. "I have a family there. 12 of us. Usually. My friends. New kids arrive every once in a while, but the amount of people we have stays roughly the same. It's a nice place, but at the same time it's not. Some days I wouldn't trade it for the world. And some days I wished we lived so far away, we'd never have to see it again."

Ekko sighed, and Jayce sat up, coming to full attention. He could practically feel Ekko's emotions all tied together, smothering him like a thick blanket. Ekko bit his lip and looked forward, out the door of the bedroom and far down the hall. "We die all the time. My friend, Ajuna, died just recently. And there are still the same amount of people there, in the clock tower. 12. Someone always comes around to fill the empty spot. They're all around me, talking to me and asking me for things, looking to me for advice. So many people and yet sometimes... I feel so fucking alone."

"I don't know what to say, other than I'm sorry. I don't think I can comfort you." Jayce said sadly, sitting beside the boy.

Ekko scoffed, standing back up. "I don't need comforted and I don't want it. It's just... you're not all alone okay? I know that feeling too. And I can't figure out whether that is more frustrating to me or reassuring, but..."

Jayce smiled, leaning back on his hands. He knew what Ekko was doing. The boy would deny any claims that he was haphazardly trying to make Jayce feel better, but it _was_ kind of working. He certainly didn't feel like he was depressed, and those thought felt more now like meaningless passings. He was appreciative. He wouldn't say it, but as Ekko glanced at him and gave his own half smile, he was sure the zaunite knew. Ekko clapped his hands together and hopped out of the bedroom, turning back and waiting for Jayce expectantly. "Alright, come on. Let's finish your stupid thingy so we can be fucking free."

* * *

Jayce stood, his hands on his cocked hips and his stylus held in his teeth. Every item needed for the completion of the Primal Gear was sitting in front of him on a table cleared completely of anything other than the specifics. Ekko had complained about everything being so cluttered, so Jayce had finally given up and asked him what the hell the zaunite wanted from him. To which, Ekko replied simply, 'A little fucking structure would be cool.' The two had worked for hours to clean off one of the tables, putting the mess of trinkets and inventions in random elsewheres, while keeping everything pertaining to the Primal Gear on the table. Jayce had actually found a couple things he thought he'd lost while they were cleaning, and Ekko had laughed at him cheerfully, even pausing his organizing to poke fun at the inventor.

Day 1 of the week was nearly over, and the sun began to set behind the skyscrapers and buildings. Little to no progress had been made on the device, as Jayce studied each separate piece up and down, determined not to let Rorik use this. His mind jumbled with many different plans, each more desperate than the last. He groaned, rubbing his temple with frustration. Ekko sat beside him, looking equally tired, but humming a tune as he ate a plate of eggs. Earlier, Jayce had spaced out while organizing and hadn't even registered the plate of food Ekko shoved into his hands. Jayce had eaten them without a word, surprised at how good they were. When questioned, Ekko simply shrugged, telling him that Twitch had taught him how to make eggs once when he was young, and the experience had stuck with him. Jayce choked on his food when he heard the marksman's name, and was unable to finish the plate.

Jayce yawned, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head. Ekko yawned soon after, shooting Jayce a scornful look. He smiled smugly, not meeting the zaunite's playful glare. Out of the corner of his eye, Ekko turned away from him, itching at the wrappings on his arm. Jayce frowned. He wasn't exactly medically affluent, but he felt like wrappings should be changed every so often. Once a day or so, right? He tapped Ekko on the arm, motioning for him to follow. The boy rolled his eyes, but followed.

Jayce retrieved the medical box from the bathroom, frowning at the mess scattered across it. Blood and medical supplies everywhere. Snippings of bandages, loose gauze, wire. He rolled his eyes, vowing to come back at some point and clean it. He made his way to his bedroom, where Ekko was already sitting on the soft grey sheets. He had his knees pulled up to his chest and was itching at the top of the wrapping, doing his best to not scratch the stitches. Jayce pulled his swivel chair with him, having dragged it from the main room. He tossed the medical box on the bed and sat in his chair, stretching his right leg over onto the bed and motioning for Ekko's arm with his hands. The boy gave it over tentatively, much more wary now that he was completely conscious of what Jayce was doing.

He pulled the bandages off slowly, wincing as he felt them tugging on the stitches. Ekko was completely tense, his eyes wide as he watched Jayce work. He hissed when the bandages came completely off, seeing the wound for the first time. Jayce made a wretched face as he surveyed the damage. The wound was red and crusted over, and puss wept through the wire stitches. Ekko gagged as he looked at it, and turned away with a whimper. As much as he'd tried, makeshift medical knowledge was really for naught when compared to the skills of an actual doctor.

Captain obvious, reporting in.

"Hmm. Alright. This isn't that bad." Jayce said, grabbing a rag and slowly washing the wound.

"Yeah? C-cool. Cool." Ekko replied, sounding like he felt woozy.

Jayce cleaned the gash thoroughly, trying to be as gentle as he could. He had to be a bit rough to get all of the crust off the wound, which Ekko didn't appreciate. The boy flinched and tensed, his grip on the arm that Jayce was holding Ekko's wrist with was white knuckled, and Jayce was almost certain it would bruise. He put the rag down and grabbed the antibiotic ointment, slathering it generously across the wound. Despite the amount of puss, it didn't seem swollen. It was difficult to see exactly how red it was because of Ekko's skin tone, but after a good clean, it looked quite fine to Jayce. He wrapped it back up, winding clean bandages over the wound and firmly trying it close to the zaunite's elbow. He leaned back with a sigh, letting Ekko work it to the point where it wasn't terrible uncomfortable.

"Wow it's almost like you know what you're doing." Ekko said, a playful smirk on his face.

Jayce smiled. Despite the fact that, more often that not, Ekko was an annoying little prick, Jayce was starting to enjoy his company. He stood up from the chair and fell forward, face down on the end of the bed. Ekko laid back as well, resting on the pillow that Jayce had been cuddling when he had a minor breakdown. A lot of bad things were happening in their lives right now. But this felt okay. It certainly wasn't what they had been hoping for, and it wasn't the most promising situation. But it felt... survivable.


	5. Schadenfreude

**God nothing good ever happens to these guys. The ball is starting to roll and shit is going down, so I'm pretty happy. Just a heads up, there will be sex scenes later on, but I'm going to try and consistently keep the same amount of the plot line going, along with the fluffy stuffs, and I will be marking them since they won't be super important to the story line and you can skip over them if you so please.**

* * *

"It was... haha yeah. We survived. Everything that we had grabbed got destroyed in the fall though." Ekko concluded, leaning over the back of Jayce's chair. Jayce chuckled, concentrating on the overview of the Primal Gear on the tablet in his hands.

Construction on the Primal Gear had been going well the past few days. Jayce and Ekko had gotten along quite well, having minor squabbles here and there, leaving them both frustrated, but repairable. With two scientific minds at work, they'd gotten quite a bit done, and the Primal Gear was more than half completed. The two would inevitably get bored once in a while, and passed the time with many random activities. Ekko would animate stories about the trouble he'd gotten in before, like how he was once chased by a group of raiders and had to escape by jumping out the window of a three story building. Jayce kept his stories to himself, deciding that a good portion of them included either an inside joke, or had something to do with sex.

Speaking of which, Jayce was getting antsy. Call him spoiled, but he was becoming restless after not having been laid in a couple weeks. It was honestly how he'd intended to spend this week, if Rorik and Ekko hadn't shown up. It was difficult to even rub one out, as Ekko proved to be an extremely light sleeper, waking up if Jayce even rolled over at the foot of the bed. He had to keep his thoughts to himself, swallow them down and put them at the back of his mind. A couple days prior, Ekko had fought with Jayce and refused to be in the same room as him. Thus, the zaunite had slept on the swivel chair in the lab. He didn't comment on it, but Jayce had quietly observed Ekko wincing and rubbing his neck, probably cursing his stubborn attitude.

Eventually Jayce had grabbed him and forced him to sit down, despite the complaining Ekko spouted. The inventor was proud of his massaging prowess. It had certainly gotten multiple people into bed with him, and massaging Ekko's neck was the first time he'd ever genuinely done it without the intention of sleeping with them. That intention changed halfway through of course, when the zaunite finally relaxed into Jayce's grasp and let out a small, feeble little moan. His pants twitched immediately and he was hurried to finish the massage before retreating into the bathroom. He smothered himself in shame and blamed it on his lack of release, but he never looked at Ekko the same way again.

The zaunite became an option. _A turn on._ An object of sexual frustration that sat in front of Jayce with a devious smile and chocolate eyes. His favorite kind.

Jayce did his best to put the thoughts at the back of his mind, but he started noticing things he'd looked over before. The way Ekko laughed, the way he stared off at nothing with a look of wild longing when his mind wandered, and how the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Small things that made Jayce chuckle and smile to himself. It was like finding an appreciation for something you'd been missing out on before, like passing by a restaurant every day on the way to work for years and eventually going to it and finding out the food was greater than anything you'd ever tasted. The taste of Ekko...

Jayce licked his lips and swallowed hard, trying once more to concentrate on what he was doing. He tensed up as he realized that Ekko was still leaning over the back of his chair, watching his every move. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the zaunite staring at him, and he felt a quick prod in his cheek. Jayce turned to look at him, casually cocking an eyebrow.

"What are you, hungry?" Ekko asked, his finger still outstretched towards the man. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and bite it, but grit his teeth instead and shoved the impulse down. It was a passing feeling, he told himself as he looked back at the tablet. Every once in a while you were bound to get horny. Ignore it and eventually it will go away. Ekko's eyes widened a bit and he frowned, poking Jayce's cheek again. "Are... are you mad at me?"

Jayce chuckled and glanced back at the zaunite. "Not yet."

Ekko gave him a devious smirk, narrowing his eyes and wiggling his index finger in front of Jayce's face. "Will poking you more make you mad at me?"

Jayce had a tendency to flirt with everyone. He didn't do it on purpose, it was just a habit to have a seductive way of speaking. He'd caught himself using it on Ekko many times, and tried to keep reminding himself against doing so. However, after a few times of being slightly taken aback, Ekko had started to breezily sent it back Jayce's way, leaving him speechless, and often times, mildly aroused. Now he expected the counter, and it caught him by surprise much less often. Though he still found it a bit unnerving how swiftly and fluently Ekko did it. Some of their bickering felt like flirtatious battles, a fight to see who would back down, or blush, first. Jayce shrugged, turning back to his tablet. "Probably. Do you want me to be mad at you?"

"Something's better than nothing. You've been like a robot all day. Boring." Ekko replied simply, shrugging.

"Awh, you're so concerned." Jayce said with a chuckle, smiling cheekily at the zaunite.

Ekko snorted and rolled his eyes, staring out the window in front of them. Jayce chuckled again, indulging in the company. Despite the fact that they enjoyed the presence of one another, at times they still did get at each other's throats. With any luck, one day Jayce would be able to get at Ekko's throat. He coughed, the thought startling him. His stylus tapped across the floor, rolling under the table. Jayce grumbled to himself, tossing the tablet down beside the Primal Gear and bending down to grab the little electronic pen. Ekko laughed lightly at him as the man squeezed under the table, still sitting on the chair. The zaunite wasn't helping whatsoever, putting enough weight on the back of the chair to tip up the seat, making it a difficult angle for Jayce to lean over. A small poke jabbed the inventor in the back and he growled. Finally he snatched the stylus up and pulled out from under the table, banging his head on the edge on his way up.

"Fuck you Ekko. You're so small, and still so useless." Jayce grumbled non threateningly, rubbing the back of his head. Ekko laughed, his cheek in his hand as he watched the man. Jayce felt his cheeks heating up and he grit his teeth. He wasn't used to being the one that felt hot and bothered by another person. It was infuriating to be unable to do anything about it.

"You looked like you had it." Ekko said simply, smiling.

"If you poke me again, I'm going to fucking bite you." Jayce said, glaring at the finger Ekko had extended towards him. The finger retracted suddenly at the threat, and the zaunite gave him a mockingly hurt look. Jayce turned back to the Primal Gear, shaking his head. Most of the days went like this. Back and forth, friendly banter, and sometimes unfriendly as well. You don't spend 24 hours of a day with someone for nearly 5 days straight and not expect to find some pet peeves in the other person. For Jayce, it was the cursing, and how Ekko would sometimes get so bored that he decided he had literally nothing else to do other than bother Jayce. And not in a friendly way, either. He would purposefully pick fights to pass the time. Jayce supposed it was because in Zaun, he had many other kids his age to fight with, one's just as pumped up on adrenaline as he was, and just as headstrong.

A sharp stab dragged Jayce out of his thoughts and he lunged towards Ekko, provoked by the poke at his neck. His hand circled Ekko's uninjured arm, but the zaunite was gone before Jayce could apply pressure for a grab. Ekko zipped out of his range and fled with a bright laugh, springing away like a snake. Jayce cursed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU SO _FAST_? I'm gonna get you Ekko!"

He relaxed back, silently plotting how he was going to catch the zaunite. A couple animal traps came into his head, but he shook them away with a quiet laugh. Ekko's laughter floated through the lab like a light wind, and Jayce smiled. Nowadays, he couldn't even remember what his lab had been like a week ago. He couldn't fathom the emptiness, nor the loneliness. Having another person here, especially one so full of energy, it was like having a battery fueled by another being. Jayce _fed_ off of Ekko's energy, and the zaunite had more than enough to go around. He was always so loud and passionate, no matter whether in his excitement, or his rage.

Jayce stood up, heading into the kitchen to make food. Living alone, his fridge hadn't exactly been thriving with things to eat. He had packages of sandwich meat and a lot of eggs, which was pretty much all they'd been eating for the past 4 days. He never thought there would be so many ways to make them. Jayce worked at making two plates of scrambled eggs, drizzling them with salt, chopped bits of the packaged ham, and some cavenders that he found in one of the kitchen drawers. He almost never ate in his lab, and thus he had little variation here to eat. Breakfast was usually had at the coffee shop, and Jayce didn't always eat lunch. By the time it began, he was too far into his work to pay attention to anything else. His growling stomach signaled him for dinner, and Jayce usually spent that out with someone, whom he would, more likely than not, invite over afterwards.

He sat back down at his station and set to work, piecing the Primal Gear together both on the table and on his tablet, which housed the meticulous notes and instructions Jayce had created when he originally drew up the device. Without any sufficient ways to sabotage the Primal Gear, which he had unintentionally created with specific qualities so that it couldn't be, Jayce had decided to try and speed finish it. The quicker he finished it, the more time he had to think up how to keep it out of Rorik's hands, and keep Ekko and himself safe. As fast as the progress was going, it still was going to take days. Jayce expected it to be done the day before it was demanded, which meant he had only 2 days left to complete it, while simultaneously spending a great deal of time trying to figure out how to keep themselves alive. The question had ingrained itself into his brain: What did Rorik plan to do with them after the Primal Gear was finished?

Jayce chewed his eggs thoughtfully, and smelled something sweet. Cocoa butter. Caramel? Jayce turned to the side, watching Ekko walk up behind him. The zaunite had taken a shower it seemed, and held the lovely smelling aura of Jayce's body wash. Call it unmanly or whatever you'd like, but cocoa butter was an attractive scent. The smell seemed to fit Ekko, and Jayce leaned back to watch him. The boy went straight for the plate of eggs and dug in, looking over the progress Jayce had made on the Primal Gear. His hair was still wet, and pushed back away from his face. It made a long streak down to his neck and looked like the fluffy tail of a cat. Ekko cat. The image of Ekko wearing a tail and cat ears popped into his head, and Jayce had to readjust himself.

Ekko glanced over, finishing the last of the food and tossing his fork onto the plate. He pointed at the Primal Gear and tapped a small part of it, a metal circlet that encompassed a bundle of wire coils. "You're supposed to have a metal protector on that."

Jayce glanced at it, and then at the tablet. There was a small metal coating on the design on the tablet, and Jayce cursed, eyeing the part sitting across the table. "Well. Shit."

"I used your stuff. You like weird smells. Cocoa butter body wash and caramel shampoo. Really?" Ekko took the towel off his head and ran his hand through his hair, pulling it back from his face. Jayce just stared at him, and the zaunite shrugged, pulling the towel from across his shoulders and drying his hair. He still had the same clothes on, Jayce noticed. The same grey and tan patchwork pants and sleeveless white tunic top. Brown spots were splattered across it, with larger splotches on the right side, where he'd nearly bled out. His red scarf sat loosely around his neck, rubbed with dirt but still a lovely color. Jayce recalled that no matter the outfit, the red scarf was always a consistent factor. It must be important to him, and Jayce smiled. He thought it complimented the zaunite. With all the neutral colors, the red brought it all together nicely. Like a spark of light in a dark room; aesthetically pleasing.

Jayce leaned over and plucked Ekko right from where he was standing, grabbing the boy and holding him tightly around the waist. Ekko squirmed and begged, suddenly remembering the promise of the bite. "Wait wait I was just kidding! I was joking around! Jayce please, holy shit man don't fucking bite me."

"You fucking poked me you little shit." Jayce said will a chuckle, running his fingers across Ekko's rib cage and dragging a laugh out of the fighting zaunite. It was like holding an oiled up snake. If Jayce wasn't as physically strong as he was, Ekko would have promptly slipped out and fled.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, okay, don't bite me hard." Ekko whined, resigned to his fate. His entire body was tense. He had his shoulders to his cheeks and his knees pulled up to his chest. The zaunite's hands held tightly onto the inventor's arms, and despite how short his nails were, they still dug in. Jayce laughed and let him sit there, waiting it out and debating on a good place to chomp down. Eventually Ekko's eye peeked open and he glared at the man. "Are you gonna fucking do it or what?"

He smiled and leaned in, only for Ekko to flinch and duck back down, preparing himself. Jayce laughed hard, finding the reactions absolutely priceless. Ekko stared to relax in his grip, hanging there with a frown as if he thought the inventor was trolling him. Jayce pulled him up and tugged the scarf off, biting down hard right in the curve of Ekko's neck. The zaunite gasped sharply and moaned, tensing up again. Jayce smiled into the bite, sucking on the dark skin with the intent to make it just _that_ much darker. Ekko moaned again, biting down on the sound and whimpering lightly. He panted, his grip on the arms wound around his stomach loosened, and he relaxed into the inventor's hold. Jayce licked and kissed every reachable inch of skin on Ekko's neck, enjoying the sounds he was receiving from the zaunite. "F-fffffuck, Jayce..."

Jayce hummed, licking at the many hickies he'd just made and smiling against the tender skin. He breathed in the scent of cocoa butter and smugly enjoyed the moment. He ran his left hand through Ekko's hair, feeling him shiver at the touch, and lean into it. He used that momentum to pull Ekko's face towards him, and lightly placed his lips on the zaunite's. The kiss was gentle, and Ekko still shook from the wetness on his neck. Jayce pulled the zaunite closer, deepening the kiss and lightly massaging Ekko's neck. He moaned against Jayce's lips, shaking from the massage. Ekko neither leaned forward, nor pulled away, staying passive to whatever the inventor did to him. It slowly occurred to Jayce that it was entirely possible that Ekko had never kissed anyone before, and guilt flooded him. What the fuck was he doing? He pulled away, resting his forehead on Ekko's shoulder while the shivering zaunite got his breath back. He frowned at the tightness in his pants and loosened his grip, his hands falling into Ekko's lap and hitting something hard. The zaunite flinched and turned away, his face bright red. Jayce moved his hands back to Ekko's abdomen, unable to hide his smile. He rested his cheek on the boy's shoulder, trying to find words. He stared at the hickeys flourishing along the dark skin, and a light red mark in the shape of teeth. The only thing that came to mind was an apology, and Jayce debated on whether or not it was the optimal way to go for this situation. All he determined was that Ekko was sitting dangerously close to Jacye's now hard package, and he shuffled back, rubbing his temple and letting go. "Fuck. I'm sorry Ekko."

The zaunite slid off of Jayce, coming to a halt on the floor in front of the man. He stayed silent, rubbing his neck and picking up the towel that had fallen on the floor when Jayce grabbed him. Ekko's cheeks still held that pinkish tint, and he looked very flustered, but not angry. Jayce smiled to himself. There was a kind of pride that came with knowing the reaction you could get from people. Inevitably this came with guilt when seeing it from Ekko, and Jayce felt like he was taking advantage of him. The zaunite's scarf still hung in Jayce's hands, and he felt over the fabric. It was very soft, almost like a sturdy silk. What Jayce had previously thought were dirty scuffs turned out to be many burns and small tears, each meticulously closed with thread the same color as the scarf itself. Despite how abused it looked, it was well loved. Jayce smiled, pulling it over Ekko's head and resting it along his neck. Ekko felt along it and buried his face in the red, sighing.

"I'm not a virgin you know." He murmured through the fabric.

"Wh-what?" Jayce laughed, taken aback at the comment.

Ekko frowned, looking up at the inventor. "I know that's what you're thinking. Because I'm so... awkward. I've _been_ with a girl before. Just.. not a guy."

Jayce smiled. Ekko didn't sound off-put by the thought of being with a man. Jayce tried to convince himself that was simply a good thing, to be so open minded, and that it wasn't a premise of availability. Ekko held the stare before glancing away, his cheeks burning again. Jayce leaned back in his chair and simply sat there, feeling Ekko leaning against his legs. He tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind that wouldn't make this situation any less abysmal. The zaunite seemed content to just sit there with Jayce, and he didn't know whether to be happy or unnerved. It would certainly be easier if Ekko walked away in a huff, though that only made the problem sit there for longer, unattended to. Jayce bit his lip, frowning. "I crossed a line. I acted on impulse and I'm regretting it. I don't want it to get awkward between us, because despite your attitude and how much you irritate the shit out of me, I really like you Ekko. A genuinely, I-hope-this-isn't-weird kind of... uhh, liking.."

Ekko didn't reply, and Jayce rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. "Fuck why is it so hard to talk feelings with you? I know I shouldn't have done that. I _knew_ I shouldn't have done it, and I did it anyways. I'm sorry."

He watched Ekko rub the hickeys on his neck, feeling across each raised bump. Jayce stared at the back of the boy's head, wishing he could see his face, and know what to expect as a reply. None came, and Jayce was left to wonder, and worry. "Are you okay?"

The zaunite tossed the towel over his shoulders, snuggling it against his neck and nodding. It was a good enough reply for Jayce, who sighed, leaning forward and pulling Ekko's hair back to tie it up in a fluffy bun. Ekko felt it as Jayce stood up and walked off, the boy's face twisted into one of confusion. "What the fuck."

Jayce picked up the dished and walked into the kitchen, dumping them in the sink and laughing at Ekko's reaction. "You look disturbed."

"I didn't even know my hair was long enough to be put into a bun. It's... new. It feels weird." Ekko said, feeling along where strands had gotten loose, resulting in some hair in the bun standing on end.

Jayce laughed and shrugged, finishing his coffee and setting the cup along with the plates. The day was coming to a close and Jayce felt extremely tired _just_ because of the recent events that had unfolded, and not because he'd been fucking around with the Primal Gear for a good 17 hours. Ekko slowly stood up, the towel hanging in his hands, and headed down the hall in the direction of the bedroom. Jayce sighed, cursing at nothing. He thought back to Ekko having to wear the same thing every day and thought hard, wondering if it was at all possible that he had clothes that would fit he zaunite. The answer was no, but Jayce headed towards his storage room anyways, determined to at least try and look.

Jayce didn't make it past the elevator, coming face to face with one of Rorik's men. This one was shorter and pudgier, and Jayce immediately grabbed him by the neck, shoving him into the wall. He squeezed the life out of the man without a second thought, not letting go even as the man coughed and gagged, and his fat little face started to turn blue. Hatred fueled Jayce's actions, his irritation towards the men that trapped them like rats in a hole coming to an ugly head. He was going to kill them all. Starting with this one, foolish lone man.

Lone? Why would he come alone? The swing of a bat forced Jayce to let go of the pudgy man, and he reeled to the side before being slammed into the ground, his right arm twisted up behind him in a painful grip. He felt a knee push into his back and weight bore down on top of him, holding him down. Jayce yelled out in pain, cursing loudly. Rorik's boots walked by Jayce's face and stopped. The man leaned down and beamed at the inventor, scratching his bearded face. "Hello Jayce. That was not nice. Where is my little one?"

Jayce glared his hate at the man, cursing fluently. With his every move, the hands twisting his arm became more violent, threatening to break it. In front of them, Ekko ran into the kitchen, his eyes widening when he saw Rorik and his men.

"Fucking RUN!" Jayce screamed, ignoring the retaliating tug on his arm. Ekko turned and fled, and Rorik ordered three men after him. To the side, the man that Jayce had nearly strangled kicked at him, nailing the inventor right in the temple with what felt like steel toes boots. He huffed, trying to ignore the pain even as his vision spun. He concentrated on Rorik, who leaned against the fridge and smiled, "How is the Primal Gear coming along?"

"Until you fucking got here, it was great." Jayce sneered, and his heart dropped when he heard Ekko yelling. The zaunite was dragged into the kitchen by the men, kicking and cursing. Two held him down as Rorik walked over, and the third man just laughed and walked passed Jayce, spitting down at the inventor. Rorik pet Ekko's hair, and the boy revolted back, a disgusted look on his face. Rorik twitched, but forced a smile. "It is cute. Much easier to hold on to."

Ekko spat at him, fearless as ever. Rorik grabbed his wrapped forearm, smiling when the boy cried out in pain. Jayce could see the man squeezing it hard, and Ekko struggled in the grip, writing in pain. Rorik gave him a mockingly sympathetic look. "Did you get hurt, little one? You poor thing."

The man finally let go, and Jayce saw blood pulsing through the white bandages. Ekko grit his teeth, hanging his injured arm limp and relaxing in the grasp of the men holding him down. Rorik looked back at Jayce and smiled at him smugly, flicking the zaunite's blood off of his fingertips. The droplets hit the ground beside Ekko, and the boy stared at them. He blinked, and his blank look turned into a hateful glare. Ekko shoved his knee down on the foot of the man to his right and put all of his weight on it, slinging his injured arm around the man's thigh to hold it. He wrenched his left arm back and slammed his fist into the man's knee, sending it cracking backwards. The man screamed and doubled over in pain, and Ekko smashed his fist into the screaming face with the momentum.

Rorik stared at Jayce, not reacting to the bloodcurdling screams behind him. He turned and grabbed Ekko by the neck, ignoring Jayce's pleading. Ekko gasped in his grip, his weak one armed grasp on Rorik's arm did nothing to hold himself up. Rorik caressed the zaunite's face, giving him a smile before reeling his arm back and punching the boy in the jaw. Ekko shook from the impact, blood spilling from his lips. He did it again, and again, until Ekko was limp and panting in the man's hand. Rorik glanced at the watch on his wrist and sighed, staring at Ekko with a look that Jayce had never seen on the man before. "You do no know how this goes, it seems. Jayce disappoints us, we hurt you. You disappoint? We hurt him."

Jayce felt the man on top of him shove his already injured head to the floor and give a sharp twist to his arm. His shoulder have a painful crack and pop and he screamed in pain, cursing and writhing against the weight on his back. Jayce could vaguely hear Ekko calling his name passed the ringing in his ears. Rorik held Ekko's face, giving him a clear view of what they had done to Jayce. Rorik shook the boy, saying something that the inventor couldn't hear, before throwing Ekko back away from them, further into the lab and out of sight.

Everything felt like it happened too quickly, while going so, so terribly slowly, and Rorik and his men left before Jayce even registered it. The pain clogged his senses, and his arm felt limp against his side as he struggled to stand up. Ekko ran up to him, calling his name, talking to him. Jayce couldn't hear anything. He couldn't think. Ekko let him towards the bedroom, slowly dragging him and trying to pull him back up whenever the man would fall. Everything spun around him, and Jayce found it infuriatingly difficult to concentrate and stabilize himself. He collapsed just beside the bed and sat there, panting. Blood stung his eyes, and he shook his head, spraying red across the blankets.

Ekko pulled him up, tugging him towards the bed. Jayce slumped down onto it, guided by the zaunite. Ekko clambered onto the bed as well, falling beside Jayce. The two simply laid there, mindlessly resting, and hoping that survival was a possibility in the situation that they'd found themselves in. Under the watchful gaze of a vile, malicious man, with a genuine passion for schadenfreude.


	6. SoonTM

**Shit's going down... SoonTM.**

* * *

A scream jumped Jayce awake and he found himself sprawled across the ground, blinking dumbly. Light shone across his eyes and he turned away from it, groaning into the grass. The smell of blood was heavy in the air, and Jayce grit his teeth. He stood slowly, wavering a bit before stabilizing. Sunlight dappled the ground, shining bright on the large splatters of blood in the forest. Jayce's heart beat wildly in his chest and he backed away, staring at the copious amount of bodies littered around him. Many had been brutalized beyond recognition, and Jayce gagged.

A body to his right suddenly lurched forward, and Jayce flinched, his eyes wide as he watched the body slowly and painfully crawl towards a tree. He couldn't move, his eyes locked on the bloodied thing. It's movements were ragged and pitiful, and Jayce slowly made his way over, wary. He didn't know how to help it, but the closer he got, the faster he came to it's aid. He knew that body. He knew the clothing on the man's back and that wild, jagged hair. Jayce got to him just as the man collapsed, his burly body limp in the inventor's arms. Jayce turned him and retched to the side, pushing himself away. The man's face was demolished, half of it torn to naught but bloodied muscle, and one blind eye stared blankly at nothing.

"Fuck... fuck... what the hell happened?" Jayce said, panting against the very tree that Udyr had been desperately crawling towards.

The more he looked, the more he realized he knew them. He knew everyone here. Champions, allies, enemies. His friends. A pained moan startled Jayce, and he turned towards the broken body of a woman across the clearing. Her legs were destroyed beyond repair, looking like they'd been put through a grinder. Her helmet lay a ways away and the long horns resting upon it were broken. He slowly walked over, hoping that none of this was real. It couldn't be real. He repeated it like a mantra in his head, over and over. He kneeled down beside the woman, lifting her body into his lap. Her yellow eyes blinked open, the normally threatening slit of her pupil was rounder and wide, dull and nearly lifeless. She stared up at him, and tears streaked down her face. Jayce felt his own tears sting his eyes and he tried to blink them away, to no avail. They fell down his cheeks and dropped on the woman, running off her armor and disappearing into her blood.

He remembered meeting her in Demacia when he'd been invited to the Royal Palace to show off an energy supplement. She walked with pride, but looked around with a sublte shyness, an unease that came with being around new people, one's not of your own kind. Jayce had given the half dragon a genuine smile and a handshake when introduced, and Shyvana brushed him off almost immediately. If Jayce hadn't been the headstrong man that he was, he would have called it quits there. Who ventures after a half dragon and expects not to be burned? Despite his failed attempts at courting her, he found that Shyvana had a dark sense of humor, one that he appreciated, and they became distant, but entwined friends. Allies before Championhood. Allies thereafter.

"Why..." Shyvana shuddered in his arms, tilting her head to the side to take a shakey breath. Jayce pulled her closer, holding her head to his chest and trying to contain himself. Her hand reached up to him, grabbing his shoulder and digging her nails in. Despite her weakness, Jayce felt them like fire, cutting into his very soul. She gasped, coughing blood out and tightening her grip. "Why... why did you do this to us...Jayce?"

"What? I didn't! I didn't, Shyvana!" Jayce screamed, more to himself than to her. He felt her shudder against him and slowly become limp, her head falling back in his hands. She stared passed Jayce, at the treetops and the skies above with dark, dead eyes. Tears flew down his face, tapping against her cheeks and falling into her hair. He placed her back down on the ground as peacefully as he could, and the device on his forearm scraped against her armor. Jayce stared at it, petrified. The Primal Gear encompassed his left hand, strapped on and speared within.

"No..." Jayce screamed to nothing. He screamed at the bodies littered around him, at the people he'd killed, all his friends and his loved ones. He screamed his heart out, until his voice failed, his tears dried, and he could cry no more. And he knew, wielder or not... this was all his fault. And he could never take it back.

* * *

Jayce jumped awake, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He leaned forward but was forced back, groaning at the pain in his arm. "Ffffffffuck."

He was in his bed. In his room. In his lab, in Piltover. He panted in bed, his hand over his mouth to quiet his weak sobs. It was a dream... it was just a dream. It felt like more. It felt like a premonition. An omen. That the Primal Gear was going to be used for horrible, vile things and no matter who used it, it would be all Jayce's fault. He turned over and buried his face in the pillow, feeling worse than he'd felt in a long time. He laid there for what felt like hours, before realizing that Ekko was nowhere to be seen. Jayce jumped up, wincing at the pain in his arm and head. He steadied himself on the night stand and walked forward, looking for the zaunite. He wandered through the lab, staring over at the kitchen and debating on whether to walk all the way around his floor while being so uneasy on his feet. He fell into the swivel chair and rested his head beside the Primal Gear. His head and face itched horribly, and Jayce slowly went about scratching it. He could feel his nails scrape over a painful scab and he stopped, feeling his forehead. Just over his right eye was a long cut, parallel to the curve of his eyebrow and stopping right on his temple. He wobbled towards the bathroom, cursing the pudgy man that had kicked the inventor in the face.

"Holy fucking _shit_ , Ekko." Jayce jumped, nearly falling over as he walked into the bathroom. Ekko sat beside the bathtub, leaning over it, and frowned at the man's reaction. The porcelain white tub held splotches of color, watery blood and brighter shades flourished across the sides. Ekko's injured arm was unwrapped, and he was slowly cleaning it with a rag pinked by blood, his face stilled in a pained wince. Jayce walked over and sat on the closed toilet seat, watching the zaunite. It looked like Rorik had torn some stitches out when he had grabbed Ekko, and the boy had taken up the tedious task of digging the scabbed wires out of his own skin. He picked up a small rag that was sitting beside Ekko, and turned it in his hands. It had been rolled into a small cylinder, and had deep bite marks through the middle, with blood marking the bottom part, where Ekko's lip had been split. "You were biting it to be quiet.."

"You were sleeping. I can do it on my own." Ekko panted, holding the bloodied cloth across his wound.

"I could have helped!" Jayce said, tossing the rag away.

"You can't even do fucking jumping jacks, Jayce!" Ekko countered, glaring at the inventor. "You don't even know how bad you were hurt, or how bad you _still_ are."

Jayce could see Ekko bite down an insult and frown, staring down at his wound. He shook his head, dropping the pink rag in the tub and standing up. "You've been out for like, 14 hours man."

"What? You should have woken me up!" Jayce said, standing up quickly and nearly falling face first from the vertigo. Ekko helped stabilize him, pushing against the man's chest so that he wouldn't collapse forward.

"You had a fucking _concussion_ Jayce! Your arm is dislocated and you need to fucking _rest_!" Ekko yelled back, pushing the inventor back down on the toilet seat. "You fucking dipshit."

Jayce glared at the boy, seething. Time was running out now. They had little more than 30 hours left, out of the 50 they had planned on having before Rorik showed up. With the injuries Jayce had now, many options of escape that they had previously planned out were null. Ekko knew it too. They were both frustrated at each other, for the same things they were frustrated at themselves for. Jayce sighed, putting his hand over his face. He listened to Ekko wrap his arm back up and he peeked out from between his fingers, watching the zaunite struggle with it one handedly. Jayce snapped his fingers at him and motioned him over. Ekko hesitated, but slumped towards the inventor with a small grumble.

"Hold your arm here." Jayce said, and Ekko held his arm towards the man in an angle he could work with. He wound the bandage around the boy's arm, as gently as he could, and pinned it firmly around the wrist. It was the best he could do with one arm, despite Ekko's attempts at helping with his free hand. The zaunite ran his fingers across the bandages, standing up and walking to the sink. He returned with a clean rag and pulled Jayce's chin up, dabbing it slowly across the cut on the inventor's forehead. Jayce smiled, watching Ekko's determined look while he worked. He knew Ekko could see him in his peripheral vision, and he gave a wide cheeky smile until the boy reacted to it. Slowly a smile appeared on his face, and it got wider and wider the more he tried to hide it, until a laugh bubbled from his bruised lips.

Ekko dropped the rag to the side and retrieved some small bandages. Jayce stared at the rag, glaring at the blood that had been wiped off. His irritation returned, and he really wished he'd killed that pudgy man when he had the chance. Ekko pulled the bandages apart, rubbing medicine over the cut and and placing the bandage on. He put his palm over it and pressed down gently, running his hand through Jayce's hair. The man smiled and wrapped his uninjured arm around Ekko, pulling him close. He rested his head on the zaunite's shoulder and closed his eyes, just relaxing. Ekko leaned into it, gripping Jayce's shirt and setting his cheek in the inventor's hair. Jayce smiled, enjoying the moment while it lasted. Which unfortunately, wasn't for long, as Jayce noticed the dark bruises on Ekko's throat. He pulled back suddenly, startling the zaunite. Jayce grabbed Ekko's chin and tilted it to the side, a bit rougher than he'd intended, and stared at the boy's neck. Bruises littered his throat, shaping the dark form of a hand. "Holy fucking _shit_."

Fury seethed in his veins and Jayce wanted to hit something. Kill something. Rorik preferably. At times like these, being a Champion of the League was very helpful, as you got to blow off steam. When getting on the Rift and destroying things wasn't an option, it left Jayce just as he was now: so smothered in his rage that he couldn't even move. He let go of Ekko and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm so fucking sorry Ekko."

"I did it, you know." Ekko scoffed, staring at the bandage on Jayce's brow. "I might as well have asked for it. It was my fault. This is all my fault."

Jayce frowned. So that was it. Ekko believed they were both hurt because of his own actions. The zaunite looked away, feeling the deep cut that split the side of his lip with his fingertips. A bruise clouded it in a dark blue, Jayce had hardly seen it at first. He grit his teeth, silently promising death to Rorik and his goons. He sat there and raged quietly, his knee bouncing with irritation. Ekko suddenly sat on it, bringing the bouncing and tapping to a halt, and stared Jayce down. "Stop."

" _You_ stop." Jayce said, staring back with a challenging gaze. Ekko made a face and opened his mouth to fight, but the inventor cut him off. "This wasn't your fault, Ekko. If he wanted to hurt us, he was going to do it anyways, no matter what we did. He's trying to get to you."

The boy scoffed, standing back up and moving to leave the bathroom. Jayce stopped him with his hand, trying to sound genuine, instead of irritated. "Like it or not, you're a good fucking person Ekko. He wants you to think it was your fault, that you instigated it, and we're being punished because of what _you_ did. And that's just not fucking _true._ He was going to hurt us anyways. He was going to break my arm the moment I tried to strangle his fat little stray. Nothing that happened was your fault."

Ekko's arm hung in Jayce's grip, and he stared at the inventor's injured arm. His face was solemn, but he finally sighed, locking his hand onto Jayce's wrist and tugging him to his feet. Jayce followed the zaunite wordlessly, as he led him out of the bathroom and through the hall, and to the bed. Ekko pushed him down on the bed and Jayce laughed, sitting quietly on the blankets. Ekko shook his head and rolled his eyes with a smile, moving things out of the way. "Do you trust me?"

"What?" Jayce stopped, narrowing his eyes at the zaunite. "...Depends."

"I let you sew my damn arm up, you better let me fix your shoulder." Ekko said, disappearing out of the room.

"Let me? You were _unconscious_ , Ekko! You probably would have said hell fucking no if you were awake." Jayce yelled out, throwing his voice so the zaunite could hear him wherever he'd disappeared to.

"You're damn right I would have." Ekko laughed, returning back to the bedroom carrying a rather heavy looking dumbell. Jayce cocked his eyebrow, but Ekko ignored him, telling him to lay down. The inventor obeyed, but hesitated when the zaunite tried to hand his injured arm the metal object. Ekko frowned and forced Jayce's palm open, setting the heavy thing in his hand. Jayce gasped in pain, and growled. His muscles tensed and pain pulsed through his shoulder and bicep. Ekko held the man's arm out to the side and slowly started to push it upwards. The inventor grunted, holding his free hand over his face. The pain was seering, nearly unbearable as Ekko slowly rotated the shoulder. His stomach turned and heaved, and Jayce cursed loudly. Ekko winced and stopped pushing just before Jayce's arm was completely horizontal. It felt like a wall was keeping it from going that far, a wall built of absolute agony. Ekko shook his head and pat Jayce's arm. "I'm sorry."

"You're fi-" Jayce's words were cut off by his pained scream, as Ekko shoved the man's arm up the rest of the way. It popped loudly, and crackled like knuckles, and Jayce dropped the dumbell immediately, relaxing back on the bed with a groan. He stared up at the ceiling and panted, feeling very tired for not having done anything. His arm was secure in the socket, but it still throbbed with pain. Ekko gently folded Jayce's arm and laid it across his chest, backing away like he thought Jayce was going to cuff him up the side of the head. The inventor murmured, feeling dizzy. "That hurt a lot more than I had anticipated."

"Sorry." Ekko said, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and picked at his split lip again, absentmindedly running his fingertips over it. Jayce pulled himself up into a sitting position, wincing at the pain in his back and shoulder. He cradled his arm to his chest and sighed. Ekko looked at him, his tongue softly sliding over his once more bleeding lip, and Jayce chuckled.

"At least it worked." Ekko said, smiling.

"You _knew_ it was going to work." Jayce said bluntly, his eyes widening when the zaunite shrugged. "You _knew_ t was going to work, Ekko. _Please_ "

Ekko laughed and nodded, and Jayce sighed, relaxing back and shaking his head. The boy slinked out of the room, and turned back to Jayce with a sheepish grin. "I saw it on tv once."

"W _hAT_?"

Ekko's laugh trailed through the rooms, and Jayce smiled to himself, standing up to follow the zaunite. He walked into the lab, hovering by the kitchen counter and watching the zaunite pull a carton of eggs out of the fridge. Their blood was still splotched across the floor in small droplets, dried into a light brown from hours of being ignored. Jayce turned away from it, nodding to Ekko when the boy asked if he wanted a plate. He much more preferred the zaunite's food, rather than his own. When he asked how Ekko's food was so much better, despite the same ingredients being used between them, the boy shrugged. Jayce blamed it on the fact that he never cooked, whereas more often than not, Ekko cooked for his entire family when raw food was involved.

Jayce found that thought disheartening, and it lined his stomach with unease. Scrounging for food, using whatever you could find. Ekko didn't seem malnourished, despite being rather thin, and he didn't really even eat that much. Little more than half of Jayce's servings. He wondered if it was just a predisposed condition from giving up his portions of the food. The inventor shook the thoughts away, glancing out the window. He kept them to himself, shoving them down like shameful claims that he would never speak. Ekko became hostile whenever his family was questioned, whether about living conditions, food, education, etc. As if he thought they were personal quips at whether or not he could take care of them.

Ekko could take care of his family, Jayce had no second thoughts about that. But it didn't stop him from worrying. A lot about the zaunite worried Jayce, but the boy was headstrong, and he liked that. A rough and tumble, "there is always a way to win" kind of attitude. Jayce was the same way, though he'd only found out recently that somewhere along the way, his passion for what he did had escaped him somehow. He _felt_ like he had that passion back, but looking over at the Primal Gear, he sighed. This device was not something he held passion for, and never would be. The very thought of working on it drained his energy, and it felt like nothing, not even Ekko's bright laughter, could rejuvenate him. He really, really did not want to work on the Primal Gear, no matter how much he knew he should, or knew that he just simply _had_ to. With a groan and a questioning glance from Ekko, Jayce walked over to his chair and begrudingly picked up his tablet and stylus, setting to work.

He worked on the Primal Gear in silence, listening to Ekko whistling as the boy made food. It took him a while to realize it was the song Yasuo played on his flute, and he stopped, turning to listen to it. It was a beautiful song, filled with a kind of sadness you couldn't really place. It made you feel lost in the world, but found within yourself. Ekko couldn't quite put as much of the agonizing, whispering feel to it, but the point came across. Jayce smiled, and Ekko stopped whistling, realizing that the inventor was watching him. "W-what?"

"You know the whole song." Jayce said, a half smile resting lazily on his face. "It's beautiful."

Ekko frowned, staring at the eggs he cooked over the stovetop. "It's lonely."

"I think it sounds more like freedom." Jayce said, turning back to the Primal Gear. "I get that. I enjoy my freedom. Not being tied down, not having to impress or stand up to anyone's standards. Completely free."

"Completely alone you mean." Ekko murmured, pulling the pan of eggs off the stovetop. Jayce stopped working again and looked over. As if the zaunite could feel the man staring at him, he stopped, and met Jayce's look with an intense gaze. "You can be free with other people, Jayce. Freedom isn't loneliness. And loneliness isn't freedom. It's not a situation where you can't have one without the other."

Ekko walked over, placing a plate down and sitting beside Jayce, watching him. He picked up the fork with his left hand, holding it terribly awkwardly as a naturally right handed man. Ekko giggled as he watched him, and Jayce pointed the fork in the direction of the zaunite, who faked innocence and slowly ate his eggs. Jayce smiled. The laughter fit the personality. Ekko had a bright, cheerful laugh. It opened up the air like wind blowing away clouds.

Jayce enjoyed silence. He loved the beautiful quiet and the setting it gave him to work. But he was finding that he enjoyed noise more. Specifically, the sound of people. The sound of friends and mates, lovers and allies. The sound of Ekko. Of his laughter and his excited talking. The way his words blurred together when he started talking too fast, or how he sounded like he was chirping when he was trying to smother his own laughter in order to speak.

They sat together and ate, both working tirelessly on the Primal Gear. They paused to laugh, smile, and sometimes pinch and swat at each other. Freedom alone is a bright, flying form, with nothing to bind you. Freedom with others is a different concept entirely. The freedom to not be alone, and the will to protect and act with the minds of many beings. No one could say it was better, but it certainly fit some people much more fluently than others. Being free with friends was like flying high with birds of the same color, making a rainbow of feathers in the sky that fell down for bright eyed and dreamy children to pick up and wonder. It was ethereal. The concept couldn't be touched by even the gentlest of fingers. You can hide it with cages, chain it down and try to whip it into submission, but you cannot destroy it, no matter how hard you try.

They were caged. Caged like animals that cowered away from the dark corners and huddled together, because though strangers and enemies in nature or alliance, at least they were not alone.

* * *

Ekko laughed, wiping at beads of tears that collected in the corners of his eyes. He shook his head and sighed, catching his breath. "Wow. I don't know if I needed to hear that."

"He blinked out and spam danced from like 3 feet away. I thought Jarvan was going to pop a blood vessel." Jayce chuckled, fiddling with one of the last remaining components on the Primal Gear. "It's become a running gag to immitate Shaco's laugh everytime we see the prince now. He really, really hates Shaco."

"Hmm, what about... Syndra?" Ekko asked, leaning over the chair beside the inventor. He sat in the chair backwards, his arms wrapped around and cradling the back of it and looking at the man intently. Jayce smiled and looked over at the zaunite. They had worked tediously through the day and far into the night, and Jayce had passed the time with any random stories he could remember that had to do with the Champions of the League. The zaunite had nearly fallen asleep twice, despite his determination to stay awake. The past four Champions he asked for stories about all started with the letter S. Even now, as Jayce tried to think up something... _malevolent_ that Syndra had done, Ekko started to nod off.

"Syndra... collects stuffed animals."

Ekko woke back up, shaking his head and narrowing his eyes at Jayce. "Come again?"

The inventor nodded, tightening a part on the Primal Gear. "Oh yeah. Thousands of them. Every time she goes somewhere and finds one of those little claw machines, she'll spend like a couple hundred gold just to get something to take with her."

"Wow. I never thought..."

"People aren't always what they seem." Jayce replied, shrugging. "You're a small part of how I thought you'd be, but most of my idea of you was scrapped really early."

Ekko was silent for a few moments, letting Jayce work in silence. The inventor could feel the quiet suffocating him, and he turned to Ekko, who was looking down at the floor with a solemn look on his face. "What... what did you think I'd be like?"

Jayce opened his mouth and closed it rather fast. He smiled and shook his head, trying to convince Ekko that it wasn't important. The zaunite pressed on, pulling his chair closer to give Jayce a clear glare. The man laughed, scratching at the stubble along his jawline. "Well... I heard you were an asshole."

Ekko's face turned from inquisitive to disinterested, and he frowned. "Wow, was that all? I expected more..."

Jayce snorted and rolled his eyes. "I never met you, so I could only go off of what everyone else said about the irritating chronotechnic. The words 'dickhead' and 'troll' came up a lot."

Ekko smiled, resting his cheek against the chair. Jayce leaned far back to stretch out his back, rolling his right shoulder tenderly. It still ached, but at least now he could move it. Jayce looked over the table and sighed, pushing away from it and rolling his chair over to Ekko. The zaunite stared at him with sleepy eyes, and Jayce gave him a small smile. "You should go to sleep. You've been awake a lot longer than I have, and we've been working for a good 13 hours."

Ekko murmured something past his arms and stood, slowly dragging his way to the bedroom. Jayce sat there for another hour, doing nothing but thinking. Tomorrow was the end of the week. Within the next 19 hours, Rorik would appear again. He'd come for the finished Primal Gear that sat upon the table in front of Jayce in all it's glory. The detestable device that the inventor had come to hate with a fiery passion. Soon it would be over, and Jayce would be damned if Rorik stayed alive after all was said and done.


	7. Senses

**I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed, favorited and followed, and I hope you guys keep tuning in. The week has finally come to a close, and things are going to be much less peaceful and significantly more psychologically and physically taxing for these two poor charges.**

 **#Doesn'tmatterhadsex**

* * *

Jayce had awoken long ago, but laid still in bed, listening to Ekko's calm breathing beside him. He knew that if he moved to get up, the zaunite would awake, and he needed as much rest as he could get. Jayce couldn't sleep. Plans ran through his mind, and he crossed things off a mental checklist, tediously going through each idea and looking for flaws. None were foolproof. So many things could go wrong in every one of the plans, but they didn't have the time nor the energy to pull off something perfect. Rorik was coming today. He was going to come and retrieve the Primal Gear, and then who knows what he intended to do with them.

He could feel Ekko roll over, and Jayce turned his head to look at the zaunite. The boy stared back with those keen chocolate eyes, and gave the inventor a half smile. Jayce sat up and pushed himself to the head of the bed, happy he was finally able to move. He leaned back against the wall and sighed, watching Ekko also sit up. The boy went cross legged and sat facing Jayce, leaning back on his hands. They rested in silence, both tired, but unable to sleep further. Jayce chuckled, "You have bed head."

"I don't usually sleep in a bed." Ekko shrugged, running a hand through his wild hair to tame it. It helped a little bit, and his white locks fell back on his neck in a fluffy mohawk. "I sleep in a hammock in Zaun."

Jayce raised his brows, yawning. "Why?"

"It's actually good for your back, you know." Ekko commented, staring up at the ceiling.

"Back pain from carrying noobs on the Rift already?" Jayce laughed, scratching the stubble on his chin. He really needed to shave. Ekko laughed, shaking his head. The boy was silent for a while, and Jayce watched his face contort into something that looked like worry, before going numbly blank. "Do you think... Jayce?"

"Hmm?" The man answered, yawning again.

"Are we going to die today?"

Jayce coughed, staring at the boy. Ekko slowly turned his gaze to the inventor and smiled sadly, sitting forward and rubbing the wrappings on his arm. "I don't... want to die."

The words, seemingly so small, shook Jayce to his core. In his mind Ekko had been nothing but fearless in all of his actions, spitting in the face of danger and laughing at the prospect of injury. It made his chest feel tight to hear that from the zaunite, and he was reminded that away from the veil of courage and determination, they were still human, and as such, felt human emotions. Fear being one of them. "We are not going to die, Ekko."

Ekko frowned, uncrossing his legs and scooting closer to Jayce. He slung his leg around the man's hips and sat firmly in his lap. Jayce stared, not at Ekko's face, which was blushing furiously, but at how close their hips were. He swallowed hard and locked his eyes on the zaunite, waiting. Ekko breathed hard, obviously unsure, but gave a stubborn glare. "If I'm going to die tod-"

"We are _not_ going to fucking die today, Ekko." Jayce interrupted, staring the boy down.

Ekko laughed, his cheeks tinted with pink as he ran his hands through Jayce's hair. "I hear what you're saying, but I don't believe your certainty."

Jayce could feel himself getting hard just at their proximity, and he swallowed. Hesitation passed through his mind like a fleeting thought, but with only a brush of Ekko's lips across Jayce's own, the inventor quickly threw all care to the side. He placed his hands on Ekko's legs, running them past the zaunite's thighs and the base of his spine, and dragging them up the his back. Ekko curved into it, grinding against Jayce. The inventor growled, sucking down on the boy's neck. Ekko moaned, grabbing fist fulls of Jayce's shirt and pushing down harder, rubbing against the man. It sent familiar tingling up Jayce's back and he lightly drew his fingertips across Ekko's skin, under the tunic. His shoulder ached lightly with pain, but Jayce ignored it, concentrated fully on the zaunite sitting on his lap, panting and rubbing needily. He smiled on Ekko's collarbone, nipping gently at the thin skin. He ran his hands down, slipping past the edges of Ekko's pants, and dipping underneath them. Jayce cupped the zaunite's butt and pulled him forward, grinding down hard. Ekko gasped and moaned, his fingernails scratching across the inventor's shoulders. Jayce growled and bit down on dark skin, eliciting a full body shudder from his bedmate. Ekko lifted his hips and came up to kiss the man. It was quick and shivering, but Jayce came back for more, holding Ekko close while he stripped the zaunite of his pants. He smiled into the kiss and Ekko sat back down, closer now than he had been before, which didn't seem possible. Didn't feel possible.

Jayce moved his hands slowly over Ekko's skin, moving at a calm, peaceful pace. The zaunite pressed against him and shuddered, and every once in a while he would scratch and bite at the inventor in impatience. He could feel Ekko's cock throbbing against him, and Jayce slowly moved his hand over to give it attention. The zaunite gasped loudly, his toes curling when Jayce started to pump slowly. Ekko had buried his face in Jayce's neck, speaking out in muffled moan and gasps. "Fffffuck. Jayce, please.."

The inventor smiled into Ekko's neck and stretched out his injured arm, reaching towards the night stand. Strokes slowed, and the zaunite turned to see what Jayce had retrieved from the drawer. The man poured the lube on his hands and set back to work, tossing the tube to the side and pulling at Ekko's member again. The zaunite flinched and gasped at Jayce with a glare and grit teeth. "That's fucking _cold_ as hell."

Jayce chuckled, biting at the lips that cursed at him. He trailed his other hand down, and pressed slowly into Ekko. He could feel the zaunite tense up and arch into the pumping. Ekko cursed and groaned, gritting his teeth as Jayce entered him. The man frowned, for one finger to elicit such a reaction.. Ekko needed to relax, or else it would hurt much more, and keep hurting throughout. Jayce kissed and licked at the zaunite's neck and chest, any area he could reach comfortably. Ekko nuzzled the inventor's shirt, cursing into it. Jayce blew hot breath over Ekko's ear as he pushed another finger in, smiling when all he received was a small grunt and wince. He waited for the zaunite to grow accustomed to it before curling his fingers and pumping them once. Ekko arched up and gasped, panting lightly and mumbling. "Oh. Shit. F-fuck. Jayce."

Jayce gave both sides gentle thrusts and pumps, nuzzling a fun little hypersensitive spot just below Ekko's ear. The zaunite panted in Jayce's arms, writhing and shivering. Suddenly Ekko grabbed his arm, pulling Jayce's hand away from the boy's member. He caught the inventor's mouth in a deep kiss, and fumbled with the line of Jayce's pants. He quickly gave up and pulled away, giving the button on the jeans a frustrated tug. "For fuck's _sake_ Jayce, what is wrong with your goddamn _PANTS_."

Jayce laughed and unbuttoned them with one fluent motion, much to Ekko's chagrin. The zaunite sat there with an unveiled glare, which turned wide eyed when Jayce lifted him up to pull his pants off and kick them off the bed. He could see Ekko swallow hard and look away, his cheeks tinted with red. Jayce rested his head on the zaunite's shoulder, giving Ekko a comforting smile. "Do you want to stop?"

"Little late for that." Ekko said, rolling his eyes.

Jayce frowned, "Ekko. It is never too late to say stop. Don't let anyone ev-"

"Jayce." The zaunite interrupted, giving the man an intense stare. "Fuck me."

On a list of things he had never expected to hear from the newest Champion of the League, that phrase was probably very close to the top. Despite his surprise, Jayce swore he could feel his member swell at the comment. He pulled Ekko into a kiss, snatching the lube again. He poured quite a bit on himself and winced, laughing lightly. "Fuck, that is cold."

He pulled Ekko forward, smiling at the startled gasp, and lined himself up. He wrapped his uninjured arm around the zaunite's abdomen, trying to ensure a comfortable and slow enter. Jayce pushed himself in, groaning at the sudden tightness and heat. Ekko clawed at the inventor's back, gasping painfully and cursing. He shoved his face into Jayce's neck, trying to muffle his whimpering. Finally Jayce was fully sheathed, and took a deep breath. "You've got- fuck. You've got to relax Ekko. I can't.."

"Fuck, it hurts. Ah! Goddamn, it hurts Jayce." Ekko's pained murmurs trailed from Jayce's shirt. He bit his lip and leaned forward, resting Ekko flat on his back on the bed. The zaunite moaned in the new position, pulling his arm across his burning red face. Jayce smiled and trailed licks and bites up and down Ekko's chest, eliciting gasps and moans and swallowing them down with kisses. He ran his fingers across the dark skin, feeling it tingle and shiver at his touch. He wrapped his hand around Ekko's cock and gave it a quick pump, smiling as the zaunite gasped and desperately reached for something to cling to. Without Jayce in reach, Ekko latched onto the bedspread, twisting the fabric in his fist. The inventor ran his hand under Ekko's shit, grabbing the zaunite's hip and pulling himself closer. Deeper.

Ekko gasped and cursed again, panting. Jayce hooked his elbow under the zaunite's knee and pulled out, thrusting himself back inside with quick succession. Ekko arched into it, shivering and moaning. "Ah! Oh, fuck, fuckfuckfuck, ahhh!"

Jayce set the pace and kept to it, groaning in the heat of their proximity. He leaned over Ekko, giving momentum to his thrusting and pumping, encouraged by the pleasured moans of the Champion below him. Ekko latched onto the man, pulling him closer and raking his fingertips down the inventor's back, earning a growl and a dominating kiss. Jayce pulled him up into a sitting position and grunted, feeling Ekko tighten around him with a breathy gasp. He stilled for a moment, holding the zaunite close and catching his breath. He held absolute determination to hold out, despite how much he needed, and desperately wanted that familiar release. The handling of one's first time, whether an absolute virgin or simply anxious about having sex with a new gender, was delicate. Everyone reacted differently, and though Jayce was certain that Ekko would be alright, he wanted it to be good. He wanted to live up to whatever silent expectations the zaunite had placed upon him, in his headstrong demand for Jayce to be the one to break that last little band of sexuality. It was partially determination for the other person to feel pleasure, but Jayce would admit that a good chunk was for his own pride. Any sexual thing Ekko would ever experience, Jayce wanted it to be compared to this. The highest standard of pleasure.

He thrusted up again, getting a startled moan from Ekko. He could feel the hot breath flush against his neck, where the zaunite hid his blushing face. His grip on Jayce was loose and lazy, and with a small nudge, he leaned back on one arm to stare at Jayce with lidded eyes and lips that parted slightly to pant. The inventor smiled at him, rotating them both and planting his right foot on the floor for leverage. Ekko wrapped his free leg around the inventor's waist, pulling himself closer with a gasp. Jayce met the zaunite's hips in the middle, pushing in slowly, and going only slightly faster with every following thrust. Ekko's toes curled and his head fell back, gasping out with small, shakey little breathes. Jayce ran his nails down the boy's thigh, leaving a trail of red marks. He quickened his pace, spurred on by Ekko's begging of please, please, faster. Jayce stroked the zaunite's member and watched him shudder and moan with each pump. Sex was exhilirating. Seeing how you could make someone act, how good you could make them feel. It was glorious. Nothing topped that kind of pleasurable satisfaction.

"Ah, fuck! Jayce, I'm- I'm gonna.." Ekko tightened again and grabbed a fist full of Jayce's shirt, gasping loudly. The inventor shuddered, pushing hard into Ekko and stopping only for a moment to capture the zaunite's lips. He laid the boy down completely and thrust in hard, keeping a fast pace. Ekko wrapped his arms around the man and hid his face in Jayce's neck, muffling his moans. He got tighter and tighter with every pump, and Jayce panted on the zaunite's neck, feeling himself drawing close to that release once more. He felt Ekko's cock pulsing in his grasp, and he synchronized his thrusts with the pumping motions of his hand, smiling when Ekko writhed in his grasp. "Jayce, ah! Fuck, I can't- I'm..."

Ekko bit down on Jayce's neck as he came, contracting fully around the inventor's cock. Jayce thrusted twice more, groaning loudly when the zaunite bit down and reaching the long awaited release with a startling leap. He cradled Ekko down on him, panting and shuddering his way through the orgasm. The zaunite shivered, going nearly limp in Jayce's arms. They panted and relaxed, soaking in the euphoric feeling. Jayce leaned back, feeling guilty for not pulling out earlier as Ekko flinched, gasping at the empty feeling when the inventor removed himself. The two laid there in content silence, with nothing but the sound of their own breathing between them. Jayce smiled, laying down and pulling Ekko up beside him. The zaunite groaned while being dragged towards the head of the bed, and gave Jayce a lazy look. The inventor pulled Ekko close and enveloped him with his arms, giving a pleased sigh and relaxing. The boy snorted and rolled his eyes, yawning into Jayce's neck.

Just as Jayce was about to doze off, Ekko rolled out of his grasp and walked off with a small incoherent murmur, leaving Jayce laying there with tired eyes. He could hear the shower start up, and he reminded himself to take one after the zaunite was done. He felt tired. Not just tired, but weary. He knew what came next that day. But he had a plan now. It acted out clearly in his head. It was neither his first choice, nor one that was fool proof, but it had to work. If it didn't work... one of them, if not both, were going to die.

Jayce tried not to think about how "hey, at least we had sex", but the thought still prodded at the corner of his mind with surprising force. Instead of smug satisfaction or pleasant tiredness, all that followed was this strange weary sense of guilt. It felt forced. Like a spur of the moment, don't-let-me-die-a-virgin kind of deal. And in the aftermath, with the wake of what they did coming full throttle to shake Jayce to his core, he knew that after this, once everything was said and done and if they survived, they couldn't be together. There was no happy ending to this story. No "lived happily every after". They were in opposing factions, enemies on the Rift. Ekko was a goddamn _minor_ for fuck's sake!

Jayce groaned and rolled over, rubbing his eyes. He cursed at himself over and over, growling into the pillows and blaming the entire ordeal on a mixture of random hormones and horniness. Jayce jumped, startled by Ekko tossing a pillow at his head. He turned to the zaunite and swallowed hard, averting his gaze. Ekko was towel drying his hair, clothed in nothing but one of Jayce's old shirts, which trailed down past the boy's thighs. "I threw my clothes in your washer dryer thingy. They smelled really bad. Hope you don't m-"

Ekko took the towel off his head and stopped, glancing quickly around the room for the inventor, who was nowhere to be seen. "Jayce?"

Jayce slammed the bathroom door and rested against it, humming lightly to himself. He kept his mind off how much he enjoyed seeing the zaunite in his shirt, how large it looked on him, or how much Jayce wanted to take it off. He shook his head, tugging the shower on. He made it far hotter than normal, hoping to steam out the thoughts jumbling in his mind. Mentally forbidding himself from Ekko just after they'd had sex seemed extremely counter productive, and Jayce found his mental path trailing firmly around the zaunite. He grit his teeth and shook his head, as if trying to physically shake the thoughts out. He stepped into the shower and sighed, shuddering at the water burning down his back. He scrubbed himself red, furiously cleaning with his increased irritation.

Jayce sighed again, breathing in the smells of the body wash as he popped open the lid of shampoo. He ran his hands through his hair and scratched lightly along his scalp, reveling in the feeling. He finished the wash with an obscene amount of conditioner, smiling to himself as he ran his fingers through his soft brown locks. The conditioner felt slimy in his fingers, but it definitely was worth the silky texture it gave his hair when it dried. He stood directly under the shower head, letting the heat run through him. He popped open an eye in irritation, noting that it wasn't angled in the way he usually had it. It was far lower, and with a small smile Jayce realized it was angled for someone a fair bit shorter. His thoughts fell back to the zaunite, and Jayce sighed again, resting his head under the water and against the shower wall.

Frustration tingled under his skin, but his body felt heavy with a kind of weary sadness. After all that happened and all they'd been through thus far, from spending every second of every day with one another, to patching each other up when injured, and seeing each other in their most desperate of moments. After this, if they both survived, they may never speak again. It was a lonely, and suddenly terrifying thought. He didn't want that. Jayce wanted to hold Ekko and be able to quarrel with him whenever he wanted to. He wanted to show Ekko his favorite coffee shop. He wanted Ekko to see the museum and the public science labs, and the Piltover Library, and the Academic College, and Orianna's Frozen Yogurt Shoppe, and all over the city. He wanted to know Ekko's opinion on everything, and that was a scary thought because there were few people he respected enough to be interested in, or fear, the opinion of. Definitely none that he was romantically interested in.

To be able to spend time with someone who could speak with him, daringly and tauntingly, on an intellectual level, was thrilling. It made his blood pump faster and his mind race. At the same time to be able to quarrel about the most mild and meager of things, and laugh about the most silly and inappropriate.. it was relieving. Because it felt like finally, after so long of running around and sleeping with who's and what's, he'd finally found someone that didn't just meet him in the middle, but overlapped him, and let Jayce overlap them, to blur together in an entirely new color.

His heart beat faster, knowing that soon, Jayce would be alone again. It didn't feel like a break up, not that they were, by any means, together. It was like a chapter of a book that closed with a sudden sharpness, and will never be returned to. It felt like death. He knew he was making a bigger deal out of this than he should, or than it was. But if felt like a piercing problem, like the end of a world. How he'd gotten so attached to a mouthy, sardonic, gutterpunk little zaunite brat... Jayce knew. He knew how. He snapped the shower off and stepped out, sighing lightly.

The worst part was that it wasn't because he thought Ekko would leave him when all was over and done with. It was because Jayce knew that he himself had to end it. Because he knew that the further this went on, the more pain they would cause each other. A 26 year old man from Piltover and a 16 year old zaunite. A ten year age gap, and a thousand year faction gap. Their relationship couldn't be public, and that in itself would cause tension. If Piltover and Zaun went to war, they would be expected to fight. If Demacia and Noxus went to war, they could very well face each other on the battlefield. Too many things were coming to a head in this time, and it felt oppressively unfair.

He did it to himself, and he knew that. Jayce sighed, getting dressed and wiping the mirror clear of steam. He stared at his reflection, his eyes hovering over a small spot on his neck, where sharp teeth had left small dark imprints in his skin. He started this. Jayce knew he shouldn't have, and yet he still threw all caution to the wind and indulged. He rubbed his eyes, walking out of the bathroom. He walked into the kitchen and made for the fridge, but stopped. A small pinging sound came from the other room, and Jayce made his way over to it. The dryer blinked at him from inside the dark room, signaling that it was finished. Jayce flipped the lights on and bent down, propping the dryer door open with a small yawn. Inside was not just Ekko's clothing. Jayce smiled to himself, pulling out his own clothes that the zaunite had piled in as well, and set them on top of the machine. He threw Ekko's clothes over his shoulder and headed to the bedroom, unable to keep the smile off his face. A small, unspoken action.

Jayce walked into the bedroom and plopped down on the bed beside Ekko, who sat there with the glowing capsule in his hands. The inventor glanced at it quickly and handed the boy his clothes. He relaxed back and sighed, resting his head on his forearms. Before the clean tunic was put on and the borrowed shirt was taken off, the red scarf was pulled down over Ekko's head, and the boy buried his face in it with a sigh.

Jayce chuckled and smiled, watching the zaunite get dressed. His smile faltered when Ekko tugged the large shirt off and reached for his tunic. The inventor stopped him, staring at a thick scar on Ekko's back. He touched it with his fingertips, almost entranced. The zaunite jumped and turned to Jayce, but relaxed at the touch. The scar was quite big, about a third of the size of Jayce's palm. It was on the boy's left side, down by his abdomen and mere inches from his spine. It was smooth and far paler than the Ekko's normal skin tone, with small creases and dips where the healing skin had been stretched or broken. Jayce turned Ekko to face him and his mouth dropped open. "Damn.."

A matching scar was on the front of Ekko's stomach, just under his rib cage. The front scar was larger and more ovular, with had a clotted texture, as if the wound took far longer to heal than the back one. Jayce trailed his hands along it and Ekko shuddered, wincing lightly. The inventor stopped and frowned. "What happened?"

Ekko laughed, scratching at his neck. He felt along the scar, circling it and wincing again, shaking his head. "It was a long time ago. I was... impaled. It was an accident. There was an explosion at this old warehouse, fucking scaffolding sets everywhere. It was before we got stable and secure, in the really early stages of the Zero Drive. We were just trying to steal some things to sell for food, and we got mixed up with these gangs."

"Damn." Jayce said again, staring at the scar. The closest thing he could imagine were Kalista spears, and he'd dealt with plenty of those. The spirit was never apologetic to the pain she caused, and seemed nearly numb of any emotion except stoic calm and mild anger. It was unnerving.

"I thought I was going to die. I got to the Zero Drive and tried to rewind it, but it got all fucked up. I didn't know what would rewind and what wouldn't. It took the pipe out, but that just made it worse, really. Nothing was keeping my insides on the inside, if you know what I mean." Ekko laughed, laying back on the bed and rubbing his eyes. "There was this doctor in town. A grumpy old alcoholic, and definitely a drug dealer, but he was still medically charitable. He fixed me up the best he could. It still hurts sometimes, it's weird."

Ekko ran his finger absentmindedly along the scar, wincing. "It's like, I feel a sharpness inside it, but it hurts more in my ribs and my chest. Like a stinging sensation. You know?"

Jayce laid down beside the zaunite and cradled Ekko's stomach, running his lips along the scar. The boy shivered and let out a small sigh, running his fingers along the capsule he held in his hands.

"Sometimes I hate this thing." Ekko said quietly, almost too quiet for Jayce to hear. He sat up abruptly and gave Ekko a startled look, who look away quickly, abashed that Jayce had heard his murmuring.

"What? This is one of the greatest fucking inventions I've ever seen in my life, Ekko." Jayce said, flapping his hands toward the capsule for good measure.

"So fucking what?" Ekko argued, glaring back at Jayce and sitting up on the bed.

Jayce refused to back down, partially because of his confusion and partially because he was never one to just sit down and accept things. "You can manipulate time you little shit! That's the coolest thing ever!"

"And yet I can't even fucking use it well enough to help people? This device changed nothing!" Ekko yelled, shaking it like he was going to throw it. Jayce nearly had a panic attack seeing the zaunite pull his arm back to chuck it, and grabbed Ekko's uninjured wrist, wrenching the capsule out off his grasp. He tried his damnest to calm the boy down, but Ekko ignored him, struggling in the inventor's grip. "Everyone I care about still fucking dies! I can't save them, I've never been able to! Why am I the only one that lives? Why do I have to survive! Why do I have to survive? Why me? Why is it always me..."

Ekko stopped struggling, hanging in Jayce's firm grasp on the boy's wrist. Jayce frowned, sitting him back down on the bed. The boy held his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. What a fucking meltdown. Jayce's heart was still beating strong in his chest. The capsule was already cracked, and though he never got the warning words of confirmation, Jayce was pretty sure he knew what would happen if the cylinder broke. He pulled a chair over to Ekko and placed it close, sitting down in it. He turned Ekko to him and sighed, putting the capsule in his lap gently. "Ekko look at me and listen to me. Don't just hear what I'm about to tell you, actually _listen_ to the words."

The boy turned to him and Jayce could see the tears in his eyes and the pained look on his face. He almost didn't say what he had prepared to. Ekko had obviously had those feelings haunting him for a long time, and he they finally broke through. Jayce pursed his lips and gave the boy a sympathetic look. "Ekko, you are never, ever going to be able to save everyone."

His face changed from one of sadness, to surprise at what Jayce said, and then immediately to anger. He pulled his knees to his chest and stood on the bed, glaring down at Jayce. "Wow. Thanks."

The zaunite hopped over Jayce's arms and left the room, leaving the inventor sitting silently, a frown on his face. Jayce stood quickly and followed the boy. He was not going to let Ekko fucking dodge this. "Ekko, stop."

"No. You're a fucking jackass, Jayce. Leave me alone." The boy snapped, not turning to see Jayce quickly walking up on him. He grabbed Ekko's arm and twisted him around to face the man. The two stood there, both glaring and neither backing down.

"I'm not going to let you run away and mope." Jayce said with a frown.

"Leave me the hell alone. What do you fucking care?" Ekko snapped, turning back to walk away.

Jayce pulled him back again, becoming more and more frustrated. "I do fucking care, Ekko!"

The boy gave him a blank stare, which turned into a threatless sneer, "Why."

Jayce massaged his jaw with his hand, trying to find words. He wanted to comfort the boy. He wanted to tell Ekko that everything was going to be okay. He wasn't alone. He never had to be alone anymore. Looking at the defiance in Ekko's face, and the dim sadness in his eyes, Jayce wanted to see him smile more than anything. He wanted to hear him laugh and make sarcastic quips and bad jokes. He wanted to listen to the stories he told about all the dumb things he did in Zaun, and watch him animate them with his wide array of expressions. Jayce wanted to hold Ekko again. Hold him close and hope he'd never have to let go, because he didn't want to be alone anymore. He'd had enough time to be alone. Ekko blushed, unable to keep Jayce's intense gaze. The inventor gave a small laugh, realizing he'd been smiling the entire time. "Ekko, you are hands down the most frustrating and loud mouthed person I've ever had to deal with. You're like a stupid fucking cat that ran into my house one day, and now I have to take care of you. An aggressive, retarded ass cat. But sometimes you want your belly rubbed, or you want pet, and you're more than the mean little shit that almost got smashed in the elevator. And I fucking live for those times Ekko. You really have no idea. You have depth, and passion, and this weird, awkward kind of grace, and you're the only one who doesn't seem to realize that. Sometimes I think that's kind of precious, and sometimes I still think you're just a retarded cat."

Ekko stared at the ground, but Jayce could see the trembling smile on his face. "Fucking.. Ekko cat?"

Jayce chuckled, grabbing him and pulling him into a hug. "Yeah, Ekko cat."

Jayce found that he no longer cared whether or not Ekko wanted to be comforted or held. He'd decided somewhere along the week that he was going to do it anyways, despite the lazy protest Ekko always spouted. He liked it, he just didn't like admitting that. But Jayce could feel the zaunite relaxing in his arms. He could feel Ekko burrow his head into Jayce's chest, and tighten his grip like he he was afraid he was going to be torn away.

Which, inevitably, they both know they would be.

* * *

Jayce tapped his stylus quickly against the table, impatiently waiting. His body was tense, and the Primal Gear sat in front of him, fully completed and working. He grit his teeth, downing his third beer and cracking another open. He wasn't drunk, and didn't intend to ever get to that point, but he could feel a small buzz at the back of his mind. In as little as 20 minutes, Jayce could be dead. It depended on how Rorik reacted. They may have come up with a plan, but how the story ended was up to Rorik, and how much the man had planned ahead. If he had, everything was lost, and Jayce and Ekko, one or the other or quite possibly both, were dead. It was finally coming to a head. Jayce felt dread welling up inside him, but pushed it down. It had taken some serious convincing to get Ekko to go with the plan. The zaunite had downright refused the first time, but Jayce talked him into it. In the past half an hour he'd almost called off the plan several times himself in exchange for a more safe one, but nothing else would work. They couldn't do this on their own. This plan had to work.

He could hear the elevator stop, and the gates to his floor shuddered open. Heavy boots walked across the floor and came towards Jayce, and he sat there, tapping his stylus. He sighed and turned, staring Rorik down. The man smiled his familiar smile, and clapped his hands. "You finished it, yes?"

"Yes." Jayce answered, staring at his tablet solemnly. Rorik walked over and pat him on the back, giving him a friendly laugh. "See? Is not so hard."

Rorik walked over to the device and picked it up, looking it over and admiring it. Jayce just sat there, feeling worn. The man turned to the inventor with a laugh, bouncing in a giddy way. "It is perfect my friend. How is your arm?"

"It's fine."

"That is good, that is good. I am sorry we hurt you and little Zaun boy. All is good now. No problem." Rorik said, holding the Primal Gear gently in his large hands. One of the men stepped out of the hall and walked up to Rorik, speaking quietly. Rorik frowned and looked to Jayce questioningly. "Where is little Zaun boy?"

The gates of the elevator slammed closed, and Jayce could hear the men yelling. Rorik's face fell neutral, and Jayce stared at him. The glare was held for quite some time, and the man finally blinked and shook his head. "We were going to let you go."

"You're not going to get away with everything you've done, Rorik." Jayce said, listening to the elevator creak downwards. He could hear Ekko defiantly curse at them as he descended. Jayce smiled to himself. Soon Ekko would be running to Caitlyn's office, and retrieve both the sheriff and the deputy, and people would know. They would come to help. Rorik had no idea what he'd gotten himself into. You can't do whatever you wanted to a Champion of the League. There were punishments, and if not under the control of the Institute of War, that punishment was likely death.

Rorik smiled lightly, shaking his head. With a swift motion, he ordered his men to bind Jayce. The inventor didn't struggle. All he had to do was wait. They pulled Jayce to his feet, and Rorik smashed his fist into the man's jaw when he stood. Jayce reeled and shook his head, coughing. Pain thundered through it, sparking up to the cut on his temple and staying there, threatening him with the prospect of a migraine. They pulled him back up, and Jayce was hit again. Rorik was strong. His physical strength far exceeded Jayce's own, and he had the numbers and weaponry to do whatever he wanted. Jayce coughed, grinding his teeth and standing back up. The binds were tight, cutting into his skin once more. The inventor glared at Rorik, spitting his blood towards the man's boots. Rorik gave him a slick smile and hit him once more, shaking his fist and flinging specks of Jayce's blood across the floor. "One hit for every time you have angered me. I am a kind man to you, you have given me Primal Gear. Little zaunite boy, is not so lucky. You underestimate me, Jayce. You think I did not have men waiting in lobby?"

Jayce shook his head, trying to get the ringing out of his ears. His heart dropped when he heard Rorik's words, but he held out hope that the boy had made it through. He was slippery, he definitely made it. Jayce repeated the words in his head, trying to convince himself. The gates of the elevator clattered open once more, and Jayce nearly sobbed. He couldn't look up. He already knew what he would see.

Ekko was held between two men, completely limp in their arms. Rorik walked over and leaned down, grabbing the zaunite's jaw and lifting his face to look at him. Blood trickled past Ekko's lips and he looked dazed. Jayce could see those electrical guns in a holster at the hip of one of the men holding the boy. It was over. They failed. Jayce stared at the ground, the feeling of defeat wearing him down. They were going to die. Rorik glanced back at Jayce and smiled, wrapping his arm around Ekko's stomach and walking over with the zaunite. He held Ekko close, cuddling him with a cruel smile as he stared the inventor down. The zaunite wavered and panted in the grip, and Jayce could still see him shuddering and twitching from the electrical currents.

Rorik chuckled, wiping the blood off of Ekko's lip with his thumb. He ran his hand through the boy's hair and leaned in close, blowing hot breath down Ekko's neck and licking the shell of his ear. The zaunite shuddered and flinched away, biting down on his moan and muttering a curse. Jayce's jaw was clenched so hard he thought he was going to break it. Ekko shook his head and shuddered again, gasping in pain. Jayce knew it all too well, the feeling of those electrical shards coursing through you. It felt like your veins were on fire and your blood was boiling. It made your senses tingle and your mind fade, and it was infuriating being unable to concentrate, whether because of the dizzying pain or the searing exhaustion.

One of the men walked over to Rorik and handed him a small capsule. Jayce stared at it, horrified. Rorik wiggled it and glanced at Jayce with a smile. "Trying to escape with this, yes? Holds great importance then."

Jayce flinched when Rorik shook it, and the man made a face, watching the inventor's reaction. "Oho, do not shake? I see. It is mine now."

The man studied it, his grip on Ekko never wavering. The zaunite murmured under his breath, and Jayce felt sick hearing his name being spoken. Knowing there was nothing he could do. He couldn't go through it again, seeing Ekko get beaten. Rorik tossed it up and caught it again, smiling widely. He tossed it to the his men and ran a hand through his dark brown hair, scratching his beard thoughtfully as he stared at Jayce. "Blindfold him and take him down, he is coming with us."

Jayce struggled against the men around him, trying to stay where he could see Ekko. Rorik laughed at the inventor and gave him a vicious smile, rubbing his bearded face gently on Ekko's cheek. "We will be follow. Eventually."

"Please, no." Jayce gave him a horrified look, fighting against the men that tugged him away. "Rorik please! Please don't fucking do this!"

Rorik suddenly lurched forward and grabbed Jayce by the throat, bringing their faces close. The inventor gasped, choking out coughs. The leader glared at him and sneered. Terror flooded through Jayce and he coughed, desperately gasping for air. He'd never seen Rorik so angry. The calm demeanor was frightening enough, but the rage that drifted lazily underneath was unbearable. Rorik tightened his grip, smiling when Jayce paled visibly, choking. "You remember? Ekko disappoints, and we hurt you. You disappoint? You remember now? What happens?"

Rorik let go, dropping Jayce to the floor and standing tall over him. The inventor coughed raggedly, feebly fighting the goons that pulled him back up and away. Jayce looked up, and Rorik gave him a dangerous smile. "I will see you soon."

"Rorik please! He's just a fucking kid! I'll do anything, Rorik. Look at me. Please!" Jayce begged as he was dragged away, desperately trying to push and pull away to no avail. "Rorik fucking look at me! Please, I'm begging you!"

Rorik stared at him with that cruel smile and lifted his hand as if to call his men to stop. He said not a word, and the hand hovered in the air, giving only a small wave before dropping once more to pick up Ekko. Jayce stared, feeling numb. His heart clenched when he heard the zaunite murmur his name again, and Jayce fell to his knees. Tears streaked his face and he begged again, cursing violently and loudly when Rorik replied with only a smirk. All of his men had to hold down the inventor's rage, and even then they struggled. Five familiar prongs stabbed into his back and Jayce gasped in pain. Electricity soared through him and he writhed, his hair standing on end and his blood pulsing under his skin.

Darkness fell over the city of Piltover, and it was blind to the group of men dragging the body of their precious defender out of his home. It was deaf to the screams of a young boy, tortured in body and mind, and left to rot. The senses of the city had dulled for the goal of their progress, but the inhabitants would soon feel the familiarity of pain.


	8. Voodoo Lands

**Loving the new Arcade skins and the VS Splashart on Surrenderat20. The foreshadowing with the empty player slots is great, like a promise of more to come. I have a whopping ZERO Arcade skins, but that might change with that new Riven skin. Sometimes you wanna Championship, but sometimes you just wanna Arcade dammit.**

* * *

Jayce coughed, opening his eyes. Darkness greeted him again, and the inventor sighed. He didn't know how long they'd been moving, but it felt like days. He'd been shoved into the back of some form of techmaturgic vehicle, and a rather large one at that. Jayce had more than enough room to stand up and walk around, but it was difficult as the vehicle was in motion on unforgiving roads, and he wasn't steady on his feet anyways. The only form of light he had was at the back end of the truck, where the corner of the door and wall did not completely meet. Jayce had kicked it into a larger hole, cracking the metal and bending it out. It had taken hours, especially with the inventor's wavering strength. It became hardly large enough to stick Jayce's fingers through, and he'd cut himself many times on the sharp metal when doing so. He didn't know what he was doing, and he didn't know what use the hole would be yet, so it was more or less just to pass the time.

Rorik had been nothing but accommodating, with his sick sense of friendship he believed they had between them. The man ignored Jayce when he asked things he did not want to answer, and would simply carry on like they had not been said. Rorik's men were much more vicious. The man that Jayce nearly strangled to death suffered a brain hemorrhage and died, and the one Ekko bludgeoned nearly did too, but was currently still alive and suffering. They treated it as a personal attack, and beat Jayce mercilessly in revenge. Rorik's lip would twitch every time he saw Jayce with a new wound, and the inventor noticed the men with following injuries. And then, in their rage from being punished by Rorik for beating the prisoner, they would beat Jayce further, leaving hidden bruises and cuts.

Jayce didn't say a word. He was confused and dazed, and the concussion he recieved nearly a week ago still lingered with increased pain from the beatings. Rorik was viciously protective and overly friendly, and it made Jayce want to puke. The man was close to his crew, despite the fear he held over them. They respected him. Jayce couldn't fathom how. Bad people followed worse people, he supposed. All the same, Rorik had consistently offered food and drink to the inventor, in large portions and varying kinds. Jayce quickly deduced that they were heading south, paying keen attention to the what the man gave him. He had been refusing them all until one night, when Rorik put a weary hand on the inventor's shoulder and gave him an almost sad smile.

"If you want to get strong enough to escape, you must eat." He had said.

Jayce blamed the confusion on his concussion. This had to make sense some way, he was just too dazed to find the connections. But as much as he tried to, he couldn't. Nothing made any sense. Rorik's actions and words were completely contradictory, it wasn't _logical_. It drove Jayce absolutely up the fucking wall trying to piece together what was going on. He shook his head and leaned against the wall of the vehicle, sighing. He glanced down at the corner, watching the small sliver of the outside world pass by. Dark dirt roads and vicious, mountainous trails, Jayce had no idea where they were, but he almost certainly knew where they were going. He bent down to the hole, wincing at the striking pain that stung up his side. He felt along the opening, tugging and pushing at it, checking how sturdy it was. The more he bent, the harder it became, as the metal grew thicker the further up it went.

The Primal Gear was a device well meant to steal powers of animals. When accepting the commission and designing it, Jayce hadn't thought of the repercussions that such a device could bring. The world wasn't filled with just animals, it was filled with people, and they were just another species of beast. The Primal Gear doesn't differentiate between cat and man. It definitely wouldn't take any heed to the differences between, say, Evelynn and a chameleon. Voodoo Lands, Kumungu and the Plague Jungles were thriving with dangerous beasts to hunt. They were likely heading that way, slowly but surely.

Every time the vehicle stopped was not to set up camp. It would stop for hours with not a word of warning or explanation and Jayce would be left in the back, his heart beating wildly and his mind racing. Terror struck into his very core. He knew it would happen, he'd been preparing himself over the week for the inevitable moment when his invention, the Primal Gear, would kill someone. Part of him just wished Rorik would kill him already and save him from the shame when the Primal Gear did finally take a life. The rest of him was determined to stay alive, desperately trying to think of a way to save any of the intended victims. The more he thought and tried to plan, the more certain he became that he could do nothing. Rorik didn't change his mind. He was set in his actions and his goal. Confident in every decision. A powerful leader.

The vehicle bounced hard and a thick shard of metal jammed into Jayce's palm. He gasped in pain and grit his teeth, slowly pulling his hand out of the hole. Blood ran free, quickly enveloping his palm and tapping along the floor. It ran down and out the opening, flung across the ground outside by the force of the speeding techmaturgic vehicle. It bled strong and fast, and Jayce clenched it into a fist, hoping to pinch it into a slower stream. The tactic did not work, and Jayce begrudgingly held it towards the opening, not willing to get any bloodier than he already was. He fumbled with the sleeve of his shirt, tearing at it with his canines and ripping off a piece to wind around his new wound. The only solace he had was knowing that he was, at least, being treated for his injuries.

Around two days ago, Jayce assumed it was near Noxus, they had stopped for quite some time. It was silent for many hours, and then they left very suddenly. Jayce realized soon after that they had picked someone up. Or rather, _back_ up, as he had found out. Jayce didn't recognize the man, but apparently he was a very significant individual in their group. He had, for some reason or another, not been involved with the plans in Piltover. Serin, as the man was named, stood out like snow on magma, and Jayce hadn't been able to fathom why he was there. The man was a doctor. Lanky, easily a head taller than Rorik, and fairly thin. Physically weak, the polar opposite of the rest of Rorik's brutish group. He was quiet for a good portion of the time, but when he spoke, it was with a sarcastic, sardonic sort of aggression, despite the fact that his actions were more or less nonthreatening. Rorik seemed to love it.

Serin removed the inventor's bindings and healed his wounds, and even attempted to stop the men from making more. It was mostly because he became irritated to see more injuries that he had to treat, which he openly admitted to, so it definitely wasn't out of the kindness of his heart. Serin's way of making them stop included informing Rorik blatantly, and smiling as Rorik turned on the men responsible and beat them to a pulp. Slowly but surely, Jayce knew how Serin fit in there.

And he found something significant. Leverage.

Rorik really, genuinely liked Serin, and the two very specifically seemed to enjoy the company of each other. It didn't seem romantic, but it was definitely stronger than friendship. Jayce dropped the idea of brotherhood early. They didn't have any similar physical features, nor did Serin have the same accent as Rorik. But it was something. If Jayce got his hands on Serin, he could use him as a hostage, and a means of escape before they drew further south. Serin trusted far too much in the safe presence of Rorik, and even held his confidence when the leader was nowhere to be found. He wasn't physically strong enough to fight Jayce, and the inventor had made sure that the doctor didn't carry any weapons before even thinking of the plan. However, with the questionable strength he had now, Jayce didn't believe he could pull it off. He knew he couldn't. He'd already fucked up enough plans, and cost so much. Jayce leaned against the metal wall, wincing not at the pain in his hand, but at the throbbing in his chest.

Every time he asked what happened to Ekko, no matter the intensity of the question, whether in desperate tears or vengeful hatred, Rorik never answered. He would smile initially, and then simply shrug and move on. Jayce's heart clogged his chest so badly he thought it would burst. Panic would flood through him and he'd lay there in the back of the vehicle, pleading to any gods or fated spirits that were, that if nothing else the zaunite be alive. He wondered if this was just another one of Rorik's little plots. Instill such psychological torture into Jayce that the inventor wouldn't know which fucking way was up. The worst part was that it was certainly working. His mind mostly lingered not on his own safety, or how to escape, but on Ekko. He passed his days dreaming about how Ekko had survived, and was living back in Zaun, and about all the fun trouble he was likely getting in with the rest of his rapscallion family. He would worry and wonder whether or not the zaunite was healthy and eating enough. Wondering if he had moved on, and become happy again. If he was alive and well...

The truck slowed, and the inventor felt it turn sharply to the right and come to a halt. The turn send him thudding against the wall, and Jayce cursed at whoever had been driving. Truly the worst driver Jayce had ever had the displeasure of dealing with. He heard voices outside, laughing and chiding on, and the lock on the double doors to the back end of the truck clattered off. Jayce narrowed his eyes, glaring at the light as the doors opened. He felt disappointed in himself for questioning the hardiness of the zaunite. Despite his pride for Ekko telling him that the boy would never die to someone like Rorik, the thoughts still ate at him. His eyes adjusted to the brightness, and Rorik's cheerful face greeted him. "Jayce! We are hunting. You would like air?"

Jayce glanced around outside, eyeing the land as Rorik bounced away, as giddy as he could possibly be. The area seemed to be the entryway into a desert, and Jayce swallowed hard, wondering if they were heading into Shurima. Being eaten by Rek'Sai was absolutely not his preferred death, but the closer he looked the more he realized it wasn't exactly a desert. It was more like dryland. Dead land. Completely sparse, to the point where you could see people coming for hundreds of kilometers. The only non-flat part of the sight was a dense woodland that lingered to the left, with strangely shaped trees. The trunks were thick and were marked with ugly bulbous blobs, and had a sudden stop around 7 feet up that quickly branched out into thousands of thin veins. The ends of the branches were like claws, reaching out to pluck people up with their leafless fingers. Jayce frowned. It looked like northern Voodoo Lands. The horrid land barren of any signs of life, save for outcast noxians and witch covens in the dark wilderness. He'd never been here before, but he heard horrible things. Such as that the day and night were terribly stark in contrast of each other, while still actually complimenting one another in a morbid sort of way. The day was vicious and hot, with the sun beating down mercilessly. The night was black and cold, with no light to guide whatever poor soul wandered into the wasteland. Many lives had been taken, not by the beasts that inhabited the place, but by the unpreparedness of the traveler.

Jayce sat on the edge of the truck, numbly watching his blood flow off his hand. Rorik and most of his men had left into the forest, hunting for beasts to skin and eat. Three others had been left behind, one being Serin, who was irritated that he had to patch Jayce up, yet again. The man walked around the corner of the truck and stared at Jayce disapprovingly. He dropped his bag of supplies and sighed loudly, shuffling over to the inventor's side. "Can you really go a day without being injured?"

"It would help if people stopped fucking me over." Jayce snapped, flicking his fingers and sending droplets of blood across the dirt. Serin shook his head and turned away, digging through his bag. Jayce's eye twitched in irritation, watching the man pull out certain things, mull over them for a bit, and then return them to the bag with a dissatisfied shake of his head. Jayce ground his teeth, not willing to tolerate the doctor's attitude today. "Are you fucking done yet? How hard is it to find some antibiotic and a roll of gauze?"

Serin stopped and stood up, whiping around to glare at Jayce. "Excuse me, are you a doctor?

Jayce rolled his eyes and shook his head, waving his hands for the doctor to continue searching. Serin raised his eyebrows and gave Jayce a smug look before continuing to rifle through his bag. He pulled out multiple items and walked over, leaning over to look closely at Jayce's face. "Have you had a tetanus shot or booster in the last five years? Any stiffness in your neck or face, and do you feel at all feverish?"

"Annual vaccines are mandatory for all Champions. No stiffness, and I don't think I have a fever." Jayce said, leaning away from the doctor. Serin nodded, grabbing Jayce's hand and holding it out. With a disgusted look, he untied the ripped piece of shirt from the wound and flung it to the side. He poured sterile water over the wound and slowly dabbed at it with a small white cloth. Jayce stared at the working hands, blanking out the work being done. The doctor's hands were rather slender and dainty looking, with caramel tanned, unmarred skin. In Jayce's head, they were darker and smaller, easily able to fit in his own. He shook his head, trying to abolish the thoughts of the zaunite. Worrying would do nothing for him.

"Jayce?"

The inventor looked up, staring blankly at the doctor. Serin looked perturbed, and set Jayce's newly bandaged hand down. He bit his lip, looking to the forest where Rorik had gone, and then back at Jayce. He rubbed the back of his neck, and gave the inventor an awkward look and a frown. "Are you... okay?"

Jayce stared at the tall man dumbly, the words echoing in his head. He thought he'd heard wrong, but watching Serin's face, the doctor looked at least mildly concerned. Anger bubbled up under Jayce's skin and he leaped to his feet and closed the distance between the two. He snatched Serin by his scrawny neck, ignoring the terrified gasp that slipped past the doctor's lips, and slammed him onto the ground. "I can't fucking believe you have the _audacity_ to ask me that, you piece of shit. You hurt my friend, you tore me out of my fucking home, and now you're taking me away to somewhere I can't help him or see him. I don't even know if he's fucking _alive_. And you have the fucking balls to ask me if I'm _okay_? What do you fucking think? Do I seem okay to you?"

Serin choked under him, trying desperately in vain to push Jayce off. All of his rage and hatred came to a boiling point, overflowing and burning all over the only one who had done nothing to him. The doctor's tan skin grew darker, and Jayce squeezed even harder, guided by his hate. Serin coughed, and let out a desperate, gasping whimper. In that one moment Jayce let go, lurching back like he'd been electrocuted. Serin panted under him, coughing into the dirt and trying to twist his way out from under Jayce. The inventor just sat there on his knees, loosely straddling the doctor and staring at the ground beside them. Serin had gasped out Jayce's name, pleaing for the inventor to stop. But all Jayce heard was Ekko, who had desperately called for him as Rorik held him tightly by the throat. He shook his head again, trying to clear the thoughts as he stood up. "Fuck.."

The doctor rested on his hands and knees, panting and coughing. Without a word nor a glance, he stood up and weakly stumbled away, turning the corner of the truck and out of Jayce's sight. The inventor sat on the end of the truck again, eyeing the horizon. Jayce was dead. Absolutely dead. Rorik would return and find out, and then he'd gut the inventor. He would never fight in the Rift again, or have coffee at that little cafe, or scout out the market. He would never again be able to wrestle with Vi, or have tea with Caitlyn. He wouldn't be able to fulfill the plot he had cooked up in order to get the two to go on a date. He'd never see any of them, ever again. They felt like stories that would never be read or told. Dead words on a page, a book that would never be finished. Would his death have an impact on the world? It felt like he'd sat there for forever, staring somberly at the horizon, and Jayce jumped, staring at Rorik who happily hopped around the corner of the truck. The man stopped, frowning as he looked at Jayce. The inventor blinked, trying to find words. Anything to keep himself alive. He had to get back to Piltover. He couldn't die here. Rorik walked closer, tilting his head slightly and gave Jayce a concerned look. "Jayce, why are you crying?"

Jayce paused, looking down and wiping at his face. Tears brushed off onto the bandages and disappeared in the wrappings. He couldn't find an answer to give to the man, so he stayed silent, staring at his palms. Rorik bounced over, patting Jayce on the back sympathetically. He grit his teeth. How dare Rorik actually believe he could provide comfort. This was all _his_ fucking fault. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he bit his tongue. He'd already pushed his luck to the breaking point, and it seemed Serin had not yet greeted Rorik since the man returned from hunting. He wondered how the next exchange between them would go, and he sighed. Rorik smiled, shaking Jayce's shoulder slightly. "Cheer up, my friend. The hunt was successful, thanks to your invention."

Jayce's stomach turned and he glanced at Rorik's other hand. The Primal Gear encased it, glinting dangerously in the fading light. He nearly puked, and turned away with a groan. Rorik pat him once more before heading away. "We are packing up and moving to area better for camp. Worry not, my friend."

Jayce sat on the end of the truck, watching the men pack up and get ready to leave. He stared at the forest, wondering if this was a chance for him to run. A couple men walked by, carrying a large beast between them. Jayce shuddered as he looked at it; some sort of cross between a dog and a spider. It was shaggy and white, and looked almost normal, if not for the entire top being split apart, making room for some sort of nauseating bone structure to protrude out. 9 spindle legs that dripped with some sort of ooze. He gagged, shaking his head and turning away. Serin turned the corner of the truck and glanced at the inventor. Jayce stared at him, his heart jumping in his chest. The doctor frowned, walking over and sitting down a plate of food beside Jayce. A small hunk of meat, and an even smaller bowl of peas. The measly last of the provisions they had, before Rorik had gone and hunted for food. Jayce stared at it, and gave Serin a cautious look. The doctor stared back, and leaned in close. Jayce almost flinched, but stayed as still as a stone, his jaw clenched so hard he thought it would break. The doctor's words were nothing but a whisper. "Your friend is alive, Jayce."

The inventor stared at Serin, his face twisted into one of confusion. The doctor gave a nod of confirmation, and ushered Jayce into the back of the truck without a word. Jayce stammered, the plate tipping dangerously in his hands as he tried to pry for more information from Serin. But with a loud clatter and a click, the doors were shut and locked once more. He cursed at the closed door and listened to the men outside pack up and gather into the vehicles to leave. Jayce sighed, sitting down along the wall and trying to relax. The plate was still in his hands, and he slowly made his way about eating it. Ekko was alive? How did Serin know something like that? Even if he was alive, where was he? Was the zaunite okay? Was he healthy and safe? So many questions jumbled in his head and he was desperate to ask Serin all of them. However, he felt like he was poking at a beast that could turn around and swipe his head off in one fluid motion. He'd nearly strangled the doctor, and now there was no reason for the man to answer anything, let alone keep the attempted murder out of from Rorik's knowledge. But if that was it, then why did he tell Jayce that in the first place? The inventor groaned, rubbing his temples with his newly bandaged hand. He was tired and weary, and over the next hour he juggled between dozing off, and jumping back awake, shaken by the vicious bumps the vehicle trailed over.

When the doors opened again, it was nearly completely dark. Rorik had to prod the inventor awake, and Jayce swatted at him when the man did so. Rorik chuckled and lightly smacked Jayce's leg and motioned outside. "Come, come."

Jayce groaned, sliding over to the edge of the truck and hopping out. What they said about the nights in Voodoo Lands was true. It wasn't yet even completely dark, and their vision of the outer horizon was already dulled and murky with shadow. It made him very uneasy, to be unable to see past only a mere few feet. He looked around to Serin, debating on whether to question the man. His common sense convinced him against it, and he silently followed the group of men, grumbling to himself. Rorik lead the group over to a cluster of massive stones, dropping his bag by one and declaring it their temporary home in his thick accent. The men dispersed, working to set up a makeshift camp. Serin followed Rorik closely, making a point to avoid Jayce. The inventor ignored it, lost in his thoughts. Ekko was alive. Possibly injured, but alive. Jayce had to get back to him. He had to apologize for getting the zaunite into this entire mess. He'd spent hours upon hours wondering what he was going to say when he finally escaped, and even after all that time, he still hadn't settled on the perfect words. The words to correctly explain how he felt, and how he wanted to keep feeling. Ekko ate away at the dark sadness that sat deep in the Jayce's chest. His attitude and brash nature ripped out the depression that lingered at the edges of the inventor's thoughts. Ekko's entire being rejuvenated life into Jayce. He felt refreshed and renewed having someone there to be with him.

Thus, without the zaunite's light to guide him through the thick black that threatened to engulf him completely until he was no more, Jayce was lost. It was like falling back into the rut you tried so hard to get out off, and finding that you fell much further than you had been before. Unmotivated. Depressed. A general overwhelming sadness. Not one that made you cry or sob in frustration; one that sucked out all the feeling in you, and left you a numb, empty shell. Jayce glanced at the pack that Rorik had dropped beside the massive rock when he went to make a fire. A dim green glow fluttered out from the top of the bag, and Jayce's eyes widened slightly, before narrowing with determination. He was going to survive. He was going to escape. He had to.

* * *

It was the smell that had caught his attention. A familiar smell, blood, and one specifically that he had tasted many times. He made his way over, eyeing the droplets on the ground. Long marks etched along the dirt, likely caused by some sort of vehicle, and the smell of the techmaturgic oil was still lingering in the air. The blood was covered in dirt, but still shone with a bright hue. There was quite a bit of it. Not enough to kill, nor even slow one down, but a decent injury. His nose flared, and be bent down to the small pools of red. He could smell it instantly, the mixture of sweat that had fallen as well. It smelled the same as the animals he hunted, who had been driven into corners and knew of their impending death.

Fear. The smell was heavy in the air, it nearly smothered the tangy scent of the blood itself. The beast opened his mouth and breathed in, his pink nose flaring once more. The smell wasn't old, hardly a few hours. He blinked, his golden eye glancing back down at the pools.

Finally, the trail had picked up, and they were getting closer.

The beast wasn't fond of the demacians, nor the noxians, and he payed little to no attention to ionian or yordle affairs. Normal humans didn't interest him, but he felt a vague sort of brotherhood with his fellow Champions. When you fought for many years with familiar faces, whether with them or against them, a sense of friendship was grown. The feelings were difficult to articulate, but it was almost like kinship.

Where did the lines of alliance end? To what point were they bound by a faction? Did they, as Champions of the League, have some form of responsibility to one another? When one was likely in danger and in need of aid, would they turn away, rather than assist? He blew a heavy breath out his nose, trying to clear his senses of the smell of fear in the air. Behind him, forms lingered in the darkness. They struggled to catch up to the beast, despite their determination to do so. He would have to wait for them, guide them slowly as darkness started to fall on these harsh lands.

They had come to him specifically, asking for his assistance. The beast had been quite taken aback, listening to the horror story they told. They offered him money, but he refused when he heard who they believed had done it. It was all about the hunt now. And he could see it in their eyes. The thirst for vengeance. Nearly unbearable rage, and the urge to spill blood. A dangerous combination. If he hadn't come, they likely would never find the Defender. And if they did find the man and the perpetrators, for them to be so stricken with aggression, it was certain they would fight with their hate, instead of their heads.

The beast raked his claws through his beard thoughtfully, noticing a small piece of bloodied cloth laying further away from the path. He walked over to it, pulling a hooked dagger from his belt and picking up the cloth with the tip of the blade. It was drenched in the smell of the man. His lip curled, and he tossed the rag away. He walked back over to the droplets of blood and kicked dirt over it, keen on not letting anyone, or anything, else follow them. They had to pay attention to the enemies in front, they couldn't be worrying about the unknown that lingered behind their backs.

The beast sheathed his blade and grabbed the end of his tail, gently picking out the small burrs that had embedded themselves in his white fur. He would wait for the followers, but when they did finally catch up to the perpetrators, he would not allow them to impede him. This was _his_ hunt, and Rorik's head would make for a fine trophy.


	9. Run

**I apologize for it taking so long for me to update, everything just got stressful EVERYWHERE and it felt like I was being strangled. Thus, updates are going to take just a little bit longer to complete, but I will try my best to make as much time for these chapters as I can.**

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Jayce sighed, staring down at the cup in his hands, eyeing the whiskey that Rorik had _oh so kindly_ poured for him. The fire illuminated everything fairly well, despite the darkness that surrounded them. Jayce had heard that the Shadow Isles were the darkest place in Valoran. Seeing Voodoo Lands now however, he wasn't so sure. It was extremely bright in the day, and it beat down on them in the borderline desert land. But the night was disturbing. No moon shone down, and a mere couple feet in front of you was shrouded so thickly in darkness that anything could be standing there. It was not a place where Jayce could run. Rorik and his men would quickly catch him, if the beasts within the lands did not do so first.

Rorik slapped Jayce on the back and smiled broadly, laughing at the tales that his men had been telling around the fire for the past hour. Jayce hadn't been listening. He refused to join in this little band of merriment, and it was insulting to think that Rorik actually expected him to. Serin chuckled from across the firepit, emptying his drink and filling it back up cheerfully. Jayce narrowed his eyes. The doctor still hadn't told Rorik about what happened. The worst part was that it didn't seem like he intended to. Was he holding it for some reason, leaving it to cook into a bigger storm? Or did he plan on using it as a threat, a possibility of manipulation? The blank thoughts were infuriating, and Serin seemed to brush everything off without a second glance.

The meat of the beast that Rorik had slain earlier that day was passed out among the men, but Jayce refused it. He didn't feel like eating after seeing the animal, with the shaggy white fur and long, bony spines. Rorik patted him on the back and shoved the food into Jayce's hands anyways, much to the inventor's irritation. Rorik chuckled, watching Jayce eye the food warily. "It is surad. A spider wolf, native to Voodoo Lands and the Sablestone spine. Good meat. Baaad attitude."

"Their barbs have fatal poison in them, one little drop and you're done for!" One of the men said with a laugh, taking a large bite out of the surad's cooked haunch. "They like to nibble at the ajunta plants that dot the south, even when they're tiny little pups. Gives the meat a nice tangy flavor."

Jayce gagged, handing it back to the Rorik. The man laughed loudly and tossed it to one of his goons. The tales of terror and humor continued for quite some time, and they seemed more than content to sit there for the rest of the night and tell drunken tales. Over time however, they dispersed from the fire, some heading to the rock formations to sleep and others walking off in a random direction to relieve themselves. Only Rorik stayed, drinking from his flask and stoking the fire. Jayce frowned, watching the man. It was infuriating, to be unable to read someone. Rorik was completely unpredictable, doing things seemingly at random, and it frustrated Jayce to no end.

"...Rorik?" Jayce started, staring once more at the cup in his hands. Rorik hummed lightly, glancing at the inventor with what Jayce had thought was a smug look, but over time he was starting to realize that it was simply Rorik's face. He always looked smug. The man's mustache curled up at ends and ran along his lips, which always had a small grin formed. He looked like one of Noxus' woodcutters. Broad and burly. It was a _very_ punchable face. Irritation prickled under the inventor's skin, but he opened his mouth to speak his mind.

A bloodcurdling scream interrupted the inventor, and the men still around the fire turned to stare out into the darkness. The scream sent chills down everyone's spines, and their eyes widdened in terror. It didn't sound far away, and the direction couldn't be pinpointed either. The screams echoed all around them, as if bouncing off the thick darkness. Jayce stood, his heart starting to slam against his chest. "I-is that a fucking surad?"

"Surad only chase, they do not attack or kill. This is _not_ surad." Rorik stood as well, glaring out into the darkness with a dangerous look. His eyes searched the shadow, but lingered on nothing. They were completely blind. Rorik glanced back at Jayce, giving him a look that the inventor had never seen before. Some sort of mixture between panic and rage. "To the truck. Go!"

Jayce stared at him, his eyes wide as he listened to the sounds of terror emanating from the night. He nodded and swallowed hard, staring at the thick black that surrounded them. Jayce backed up slowly, picking up the bag that held Ekko's capsule and heading back towards where the vehicle was parked. He wasn't fond of going to his mobile prison for protection, but he had little choice now. Another horrified scream echoed through the land, and the darkness became much more threatening. Out of the shadows came four of Rorik's men, who sped towards the vehicle, yelling about a bladed beast. Serin ran past as well, grabbing Jayce by the arm and practically dragging the inventor to the truck. They ran as fast as they could through the black, making their way desperately towards the vague outline of the vehicle. The two tumbled into the back and crawled quickly towards the front, pushing themselves as far away from the outside as they could. Without the light of the fire, everything was blanketed in a thick cloak of shadow. Jayce could hear Serin panting heavily, and could practically feel the man's heart beat reverberating through the metal wall, but as close to his side as he was, Jayce could not see him. They stared out into the darkness, fear encompassing them. They couldn't see each other, let alone whatever rested in the shadows, waiting to leap out. It was a petrifying thought.

Thankfully they did not have to wait long, and the vehicle started up and jolted into movement, nearly sliding both of the men out the back. They were silent as they fled, staring out unblinking at the shadow, still certain that something was there, waiting. Serin sighed, and Jayce jumped at the sound. The doctor gave an empty laugh, obviously still quite scared, and coughed lightly. "Jumpy?"

"A little." Jayce answered, glancing to his side. They'd pushed themselves past the crates that sat at the front of the truck, far away from the doors, and had huddled together in between two large wooden containers. "That was... kind of terrifying."

Jayce pulled the pack over with his foot and snatched it up, opening it wide to see the contents. The truck lit up, suddenly illuminated with a bright green glow. Jayce smiled, the capsule was a welcomed sight. Serin stared at it in awe, mesmerized by the soft glow. Seeing the small cylinder was comforting, and it felt like the light eminated warmth. Warmth that said everything was going to be okay, and that survival was not out of reach. He held it close and relaxed back against the wall with a small sigh. Serin watched him, a solemn look on his face. "I'm sorry, Jayce."

The inventor stared up at the man, his eye twitching. The urge to strangle the doctor pulsed under his skin once more, but he tried to remind himself that the anger was misplaced. Rorik was his target. Rorik did this. Jayce grit his teeth, still irritated at one of the man's lackeys giving him a meaningless, empty apology. "Why are you here, Serin."

"Rorik is why I'm here. Isn't that obvious?" Serin replied, leaning against the box to his left. The truck bounced harshly and he flinched, wincing lightly when he knocked his head on the edge of the wooden crate. He felt along it, staring at the back of the truck, which was still wide open, the doors swinging from the speed of the vehicle. "He's the only reason why I've stuck around this mess."

"How can you follow him around? Knowing _everything_ he's fucking done?" Jayce asked, his voice raising with his anger. He didn't understand. He would never understand, and nothing Serin could ever say would justify anything.

"I know he's a bad man..." Serin said quietly, staring at the capsule that Jayce still cradled in his arms.

Jayce glared, "Yes. He is. If I were you, I'd run. But I fucking _can't_."

"I can _fix_ him." The doctor said suddenly. He glared into the darkness, his face set in a fierce determination.

Jayce was taken completely for aback, and stared at Serin with a bewildered look. "You fucking _what_?"

"I know he's a bad man, Jayce." Serin said with a glare, giving the inventor a dark look. His lips curled as he spoke, and it looked like he felt indignant about even having to explain. As if everyone should know. As if it was so, _ridiculously_ obvious. "But it's psychological. There is no cliff that you fall off of at the end of the sociopathic road that says you can't come back from that. I'm a goddamn doctor, fixing people is what I do. I can-"

"You're out of your fucking mind." Jayce interrupted, glaring at the man. Serin was absolutely crazy, thinking that he could fix a psychopathic, kidnapping, imprisoning, _rapist_ like Rorik. "You can't fucking fix people like that, do you even know wha-"

"You don't fucking know him!" Serin shouted, refusing to look at the inventor. "I do, okay? I can fucking fix him. He's not a lost cause. Rorik has been by my side for longer than I can remember. He's like my brother. I'm not just going to give up and let him rot in that shell. He's in there somewhere, who he used to be."

Jayce shook his head and shuffled a couple inches away, frustrated that the doctor refused to listen. "You're digging your own fucking grave."

"Rorik... is selfish. Anything he sees, if he likes it, he thinks it should belong to him, in one way or another. He doesn't give things away, or give up on them. Everything is his to use as he sees fit. He owns all of us." Serin said, leaning back against the edge of the wall and watching the outside fly past them.

"I'm not an item, Serin." Jayce said, his face stone. "I am not something to be used, or owned. And neither are you. Stop letting him do that."

Serin shook his head, looking down at his hands. "You don't understand."

"You're goddamn right I don't. We have better purposes than being kept in a cell by someone. That's fucking slavery, Serin, and it's not legal." Jayce said, trying to talk sense into the doctor. Serin didn't seem like a bad person. Naive maybe, but he wasn't like Rorik's other men. He wasn't insane or violent. Serin was a _doctor_ for fuck's sake, he could have a life outside of this. Jayce just had to convince him of that. "Don't you ever want to be free?"

"I don't want to be alone, Jayce. You don't understand. Rorik has been there all my life, I've seen him fall down this path, I know I can get him back to the way he was before. I have to." Serin turned to Jayce with an intense look, desperately trying to make him understand his reasoning.

"Freedom isn't-" Jayce stopped, and turned to the doctor with a determined look. "Freedom is _not_ loneliness. You can be free with other people, Serin." He looked away, wistfully staring out the back of the truck. "Once you find that person.. you're never alone, and never caged... You can't stay here, man."

Serin shook his head and laughed lightly, giving Jayce a small, sad smile. "Rorik is that person Jayce. I'm not changing my mind. I won't leave until I've fixed him."

Jayce sighed and turned away, finally giving up. Some people, no matter what logic you argued with nor what facts you threw their way, could not be swayed from their decision. It was extremely frustrating, and Jayce found it kind of sad. Rorik was going to kill Serin one day, whether intentionally or not. It was all so easily avoidable, but the doctor's loyalty was set in stone. There was nothing the inventor could do, so he rested back against the wall and tried to relax, his eyes fixated on the open, swinging doors to the black of the night. Sleep was not within his reach, and the fear that twitched along his skin was slow to fade. He cradled Ekko's chonotech to his chest, feeling worn.

It was so easy to feel like a god, or a warrior, or a genius as a Champion of the League. But when people took away what you made, and what made you powerful... it was a startling, sudden shock to remind them that they were still human. Jayce was, physically, a lot stronger than a good portion of people. But if you took away his inventions, outnumbered him, and threatened what he loved, it made him weak once again. He could do nothing, and this time he had neither the time nor the resources to do anything about it. He knew that feeling of weakness, and after living for so, so long without it, being powerful and having a say in important decisions and acts, and practically sitting on a public throne that he himself did not even have to build.. it was infuriating. It felt like he was waiting to be saved, and he may never be. Like being mercilessly focused on, though you were never once ahead, and just feeling like a toy to the enemy. Afk inducing. Disheartening. Demeaning. Worthlessness.

It wasn't humbling. It was enraging. Because he _could_ kill them, every single one of them. With such disturbing ease, if he only had one single item. Jayce kicked himself. How could he have left his Mercury Hammer there? It also begged the question: How had no one seen it yet, or tried to return it to him? How come no summoners had tried to contact him? Jayce grit his teeth, reminded of the jittery form switching from hammer to cannon. Could it be they disabled him without informing him? Bullshit. The Institute thrived on paperwork and information handling. There was no way they'd do that without telling him in some way. Jayce sighed, rubbing his eyes. The adrenaline rush from the terror by the rock formation had subsided, and now he wondered how many men Rorik had left behind. How many of them had been killed and eaten by whatever beast was out there, and how many were still lost in the darkness, alive and being hunted mercilessly?

The thoughts disturbed him, and he gently shook his head with a groan. Serin glanced over at him, turning away from his similarly perpetual stare at the open end of the truck. It felt like whatever it was could just jump in and attack them, despite the fact that they'd long left the area. Jayce met the glance and shook his head, still disappointed in the doctor. Serin frowned, laying his head to rest back against the crate once more. Jayce watched the tall man fall asleep out of the corner of his eye, waiting for those green eyes to flutter closed. When they finally did, Jayce scooted slowly forward. He pushed himself past a couple boxes and huddled beside them, further away from the doctor. Being so close to the man was uncomfortable, and Jayce didn't want to deal with whoever found them in the morning, likely Rorik. He rested against a softer cardboard box, which had been collapsing slowly under his weight for the past few days, leaving the box form fitting whatever was inside. Which were, to his pleasant surprise, a bunch of blankets. Due to the wretched heat in Voodoo Lands and the cooking effect the truck had on any inhabitants inside, Jayce didn't need them to cover himself. However, they made great pillows in their rolled up form.

He glanced down at the green glow and held it close, determined to protect it. That was his purpose right now. Anger and determination drove him to survive, sadness and self pity would do nothing for him. He unwound the wrappings on his hand, slowly wincing as it tugged lightly at the rather deep cut in his palm. He circled the capsule with the bandages, winding it around until the glow was completely concealed. He stared at it for a moment longer and sighed, shoving it deep down in his cargo pocket. All kinds of what-ifs flew through Jayce's mind, but he drowned them out with an irritated groan, forcing his mind to be quiet as he pushed himself further into the collapsed box of blankets. It would do him no good to worry, he had to relax while he could. Jayce leaned his head back and rested it on the wall, waiting for sleep to over take him. Minutes turned into hours as they passed, and Jayce continued to stare out at the darkness, even as it turned lighter and lighter, and the sun peeked out from over the distant mountains of Sablestone. With the light illuminating the surroundings once more, Jayce found that they were no longer in Voodoo Lands, and had started to enter Kumungu.

The jungle was dwindling at first, but quickly grew thick around them, until Jayce could hear nothing but vines and tree limbs snapping out of the path of the truck. Their trail became even more bumpy, and Jayce glanced back at Serin to find the man had been startled awake by the sudden change in quality of the road. The wooden crates in the back creaked dangerously, and Serin looked up at them for but a moment before clambering quickly out away from them. He sat across from Jayce, closer to the front, but made sure to keep his distance from the door. Jayce stared in wide eyed wonder at the land outside. He had never been past the Great Barrier before. Shurima, Voodoo Lands, Kumungu and the Plague Jungles, they were all incredibly foreign to him, and it was absolutely fascinating to see them so close now. Colorful fauna passed and Jayce could see many different types of insect species disperse in a startled haze when the truck interrupted their breakfast of a murky colored mushroom.

"Wow." Jayce said softly, in awe of the scene. Under different circumstances, he would have relaxed and enjoyed all of this. It was a shame he didn't have that leisure. Serin looked at it dimly for a bit before slamming hard on the wall of the truck, knocking against it with his fist a solid four or five times. It nearly startled Jayce out of his skin, and he glared over at the doctor with a hiss. "You trying to bring everything in a fucking quarter mile to us?"

"I have experience in Kumungu, as I've lived here for quite some years." Serin said, glancing over at Jayce with a bored look. The truck turned slowly, and stopped with a low, rusted creak. "Our home is not far from here, we should get there before it gets dark."

Serin stood up and stepped out, followed slowly by Jayce, who dragged the pack out with him and stared up at the canopy with wide eyes. The jungle was huge and daunting, looming over them with the dangerous promise of an easy death. The inventor swallowed hard, but kept a straight face, knowing that Rorik would be all too happy to see Jayce disturbed. He followed Serin around the corner and narrowed his eyes, watching Rorik step out of the passenger side of the truck. The man smiled widely as he saw them and walked over with quick but heavy steps, wrapping his arm around Serin's waist and shaking him cheerfully. "How was your night?"

"Uncomfortable." Serin said simply, leaning a good portion of his upper body on Rorik's shoulder, using their height difference to his advantage as he put nearly all of his weight on the man. "Please carry me."

Rorik smiled and pat the doctor sympathetically on the back, waving at Jayce with his other hand. The inventor frowned, sighing and looking to the side instead of acknowledging the greeting. He didn't intend to play games like this. The man could act as friendly as he wanted, but Jayce would never, ever relay the "kindness". And Rorik still smiled on, even chuckling lightly and turning to his men to give a various amount of orders to them. It looked like they'd actually lost quite a few people, and Jayce scoffed. He didn't believe in karma, but if there was ever a situation that would change his mind about it, this would be as close as it would ever get. He stared back at them, absentmindedly wondering if the lack of people here now would increase his chance of escaping. A deep throaty growl shook the area around them, and silence fell over everyone. Jayce's eyes were wide, and he slowly searched the jungle with his eyes, trying to find what had made the noise. He hoped like hell it wasn't what had attacked them yesterday in Voodoo Lands. "Is that one a surad?"

Rorik shook his head, frowning but not looking too concerned. They held still for a few moments longer before Rorik chuckled and shrugged, heading back towards the front of the truck. Jayce watched him go, disturbed by the man's laid back attitude. He gave Serin a pointed look, shaking his head in bewilderment. The doctor's face stayed grim, and he turned back to Rorik as the man returned. In his hands was a machete, and Jayce stared at it before looking skeptically at Rorik. "That's your top offense?"

"No, this is." Rorik said, shaking the Primal Gear that was encased on his hand. Jayce winced and turned away, his lip curling. He'd nearly forgotten about that damned device, with everything else going on. The thought of it being used still made him sick to his stomach, and dark thoughts passed through his mind. He grit his teeth, determined to not let it get to him. He couldn't. The sound came again, and Rorik's men looked significantly more concerned than before, looking wildly around in desperate attempts to get sight on the thing. Jayce scoffed and rolled his eyes. The sound was deep, and it vibrated through the jungle like an enormous brooding beast, but even he could tell it wasn't close. Rorik didn't look even mildly perturbed, but his men were much less confident and experienced. Serin seemed calmed by Rorik's demeanor, and relaxed even as the sounds got louder, coming quickly to a deafening roar. He could see the men open their mouths in screams and yells, but he could hear nothing but the vibrating noise. Jayce winced, holding his hands over his ears as the sound grew inconceivably louder. Whatever it was had gotten much closer in a very little amount of time, with no disturbance to the brush around them. Jayce glanced upwards and his eyes widened, staring dumbfounded at a pulsing mass of gold above their heads. It seemed to be the source of the sound, and each time it pulsed, so did the noise.

"What the fuck is that thing?" Jayce screamed to Rorik. He stopped, realizing that not even he could hear his own voice. He back towards them, away from the massive golden blob. As it pulsed and nearly bulged out in another separate mass, he realized with horror that it was not just one single entity. It was many.

* * *

"Hmm, unlucky." He said, eyeing the bodies littered across the floor. His observation went unheard, and the rest of the group dispersed, looking for their lost friend. The beast sighed lightly, his eyes quickly searching the ground and not finding either of the men they wanted. This was good news. Despite the inventor not being among the dead bodies, he still heard shared grunts and growls of frustration among the group. They had missed him just barely, yet again.

This was the war path of a stigmatic beetle colony. They normally lived in Shurima, but many masses had begun travelling south since Rek'Sai's arrival. The landshark's presence was not a pleasant one, and drove many species out of their sandy homes. One would think the flying species were safe, but this was far from the case. Unfortunately, Rek'Sai's dominating territorial instincts drove nearly every being out of her new domain. Only Azir and the two guardians still held residence there, and it was merely because of the balanced power between them. A sort of primeval respect between great beings. No need for petty squabbling or negotiating. He could respect that.

The stigmatic beetles flourished in numbers, and the rapid beating of their unsheathed wings created deep, terrifying noises that destroyed the hearing and numbed the other senses through a mixture of vibrations and a secreted perfume through their abdomens. Rain destroyed this mechanism, and thus the beetles usually lived in the more harsh climates, such as Shurima and the Voodoo Lands. They were completely unobserved everywhere above the Tempest Flats, where climate and weather was more regulated. They gathered up into groups and used their numbers and size to disorient and disarm, before swarming and furiously pinching at their victims. Each pincer injected venom which completely destroyed nerve endings and putrefied the veins. Death within a week with one bite, unless an expensive demacian anti-venom was injected, and with more than six bites, not even the anti-venom could save you. They laid eggs in the dead bodies and left them to cook under the sun when they were done feeding. All in all, a disgustingly unpleasant species of insect.

The beast scratched along his white beard, absentmindedly looking around the jungle. One of the techmaturgic vehicles they had been using for transport was abandoned, all doors open and all the contents in a disarray along the ground. Both the bodies and the supplies had been picked apart by native jungle creatures, out of both curiosity and hunger. Kumungu was not a forgiving place, neither to adventurers nor inhabitants. He walked over to the vehicle and crinkled his nose, peering inside. His heart dropped as he inhaled the scent and surveyed the sight. It was drenched in the smell of the man they had come all this way searching for. Blood, sweat, and fear. A lone, dismembered forearm sat abandoned in the seat of the vehicle, and the beast stared sadly at it. This was not good news. He turned to look back at the group, watching them silently. Each had come for their friend, brimming with determination and mustering all of their strength. What would he tell them. What could he tell them? Nothing.

He glanced back at the forearm, staring solemnly at it. Nothing.


End file.
